All Work And No Play
by Dr. Magic PhD
Summary: Episode 10 in the 'Complete' series: On their Christmas break, the brothers decide to spend it together for the first time since meeting, but their plans may be ruined by a group of demons bent on vengeance for something that happened a year ago...
1. The Christmas Spirit

_Well I've finally gathered enough courage to start up another story! Although this one isn't nearly done, I thought it'd be nice to start posting it so that y'all won't soon forget me! And I really appreciate all the reviews I got for the last story, so let's try and top them this time 'round, okay?_

* * *

An unsettling aura filled the air as a demon, in the disguise of a human man, approached an unearthly figure sitting in a very ornate chair. His cold, steel gray eyes accentuated his otherwise mundane face. A long ponytail of jet black hair wagged gently behind his head. The fifteen or so other minions watched him as he slowly progressed along the corridor, not daring to look up at the one with whom he wished to speak. An eerie darkness covered the entire chamber; only faint flames on the walls provided any source of light. He stepped slowly, not wanting to make any mistakes.

Finally, he reached his destination, the being in the chair. He quickly lowered his head to the dusty ground, avoiding the pale eyes of his master. He knew better than to initiate the conversation. He knew his place as the subordinate. He waited for his superior to address him, desperately hoping that his good news might trump the bad news and keep him alive for another day.

"Report," the pale-eyed being commanded.

"Master," the demon began with a large gulp, still keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, "three more have perished in the caves, but…"

"Three?" his master asked impatiently. "_Three_?"

"But, master," the demon quickly added, "we have taken two more captive, two who are much stronger than the three we've lost."

"How much stronger?" the master hastily asked.

"One has the power to move earth," the demon described, "and the other has superhuman strength. They will be valuable in our…_your_… quest to find the Gem."

"Quite," the master responded, apparently placated. "You will continue recruitment. The sooner the Gem is in my possession, the better. Now, have you found _them_?"

"Not yet," the lower demon answered. "They've not used magic enough in the recent past for us to track them, but rest assured, we will deliver them to you as soon as we can."

"That will be all," the master replied simply. "Now, go."

"Thank you, master," the demon said, bowing deeply as he began to slowly retreat from his master's presence. He continued inching backwards until enough distance separated him from his superior before he turned on his heels and stalked off into the darkness, relieved that he managed to escape death.

The master, upon seeing one of his minions leave, snapped his fingers at once. The court of demons lining the pathway to him all knew at once to leave immediately. One by one, the low-level demons vanished by rippling into thin air until only he remained.

"Worry not, brother," he spoke out. "Your defeat will not go unavenged."

* * *

James blindly held out his hands and Wesley gave him another bunch of Christmas lights. He scrambled up the ladder to the roof of his and his brothers' house for the sixth time. Slowly tiptoeing across the roof, he spread the newest bunch of lights around the edges, continuing the trail he started five bunches ago. As he positioned the lights, Wesley occupied his time sitting in the middle of their rather large lawn, sorting out the seventh bunch of lights, all tangled up in a large box labeled "X-MAS STUFF." He struggled with this bunch, considerably more tangled than any of the others. Matthew laughed at him as he stuck Christmas decorations on the front windows and doors. While they presented themselves as cheesy, Matthew really couldn't be bothered to go out and find more modern decorations, especially given the short amount of time until Christmas.

"Shut up," Wesley said to Matthew. "I'm doing the best I can."

"If that's your best, homeboy," Matthew joked, "then I'd hate to see your worst."

"If you think you can do better," Wesley challenged, "be my guest."

"No thanks," Matthew said. "That's _your_ job and I wouldn't want to deprive you of it."


	2. Women Problems

_Hello, folks. Here's the second chapter of the newest story to hit the Net! The funny thing is that I started this story around Christmas, planning to put it out then, but things almost never go the way I want them to. Oh well, huh!_

_**chyp: **Thanx for the review. You are, as usual, awesome._

* * *

"Aren't you finished with this one yet?" James asked, climbing down the ladder. "I'm ready for the next bunch."

"I think six will have to do, Jimmy," Wesley said, peeking his head from beneath the monstrous web of lights covering him.

"Well, hurry up," James said. "I'd like to finish putting the lights up before it gets too dark."

"I don't see why we need lights at all," Matthew called out from the front door. "We're only gonna take them down."

"We leave them on year round," Wesley commented. "I come from a lazy family."

"Lights make Christmas fun," James said, beaming. "And I'm glad we'll get to spend it here this year, together."

"Not that I'm complaining," Wesley said, "but you seem a lot more cheerful lately. What's going on?"

"I'm just in the Christmas spirit," James said.

"I'll believe that one when he gets those lights untangled," Matthew said to James, pointing at Wesley. He attached the last decoration, a large, round wreath, onto the front door of the house, positioning it symmetrically around the peephole.

"Really," James repeated, "Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, you know? A time to be with family. I just think it's great that I get to spend it with y'all, that's all. Here, I'll help you with these."

"I'll get it," Matthew announced as he heard the telephone ring inside. He ducked inside the house.

"Why don't you just…you know?" Wesley asked James, flapping his hand like a wing.

"No," James said firmly, but still with a smile. "No magic. We've been magic free for a while now and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as we can. Besides, that just takes the fun out of it."

"Fine," Wesley said, handing James the rest of the jumbled lights. "Here, why don't you double your fun!"

Wesley left James in the center of the lawn and walked into the house to fix a snack. All of the time he spent on the Christmas lights made him hungry. James shrugged his shoulders and worked busily on unknotting the seemingly hopeless mass of lights, whistling 'Jingle Bells' as he worked.

Inside the house, Wesley busied himself with something much more enjoyable, making three sandwiches for himself and his brothers, when Matthew hung up the phone and joined him, taking more ingredients out of the refrigerator. Judging from Matthew's over exaggerated actions — he forcibly slammed the refrigerator shut, let the jar of mayonnaise fall onto the table with a loud thud, and almost bent the knife in an effort to cut a tomato — he guessed that Matthew's phone conversation had not fared well.

"Careful," he said to Matthew. "It's a tomato, not a coconut."

"Oh," Matthew said, shrugging, "sorry."

"Who was that?" Wesley asked as he stacked slices of ham on the bread.

"Kathleen," Matthew answered, gripping the knife a little harder as he mentioned that name. "We just broke up."

"Haven't y'all been dating for a year?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah," Matthew said, "but apparently this long distance thing is getting to her."

"So she broke up with you?" Wesley asked. "Right out of the blue?"

"Apparently," Matthew replied. "Merry Christmas me, huh?"

"Aww, don't say that," Wesley said, throwing extra cheese into his own sandwich. "Pass me the ham, though."

"What was it I did?" Matthew asked rhetorically. "I thought we were fine."

"Women," Wesley explained, "are complicated. Very complicated. If they weren't, they'd be men. Let me tell you some things I've learned in all my years."

"You're eighteen," Matthew said flatly.

"Shut up and listen," Wesley said, putting his sandwich into the toaster over. "I've been around enough women in my life to have picked up some very helpful news. First of all, never buy them a dress. There's a reason they spend all day at the mall and come home with nothing. If they can't find it, you'll never be able to. Second…"


	3. If Your Girl Only Knew

_Hello, everybody! It's me again, just lettin' y'all know that I've posted yet another chapter of this story, so here it is, just in time for Valentine's Day, which it already is here in Japan. So grab your significant other and enjoy the latest installment._

_**chyp:** Thanx, dude. I'm glad somebody agrees with me!_

* * *

James worked busily outside, meticulously untying knots that had formed from years of storage, use, and neglect. The seemingly insurmountable problem merely passed over him as he continued to untangle the mess of lights that lay before him. Having been so caught up in his determination to finish the job before dark, he jumped in surprise when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Working hard?" a feminine voice asked, "or hardly working."

"You be the judge," James said in reply, looking up. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," she began uneasily, "I brought you your newspaper. It was over in the bushes."

"And?" James asked, probing for the real reason she had come to visit.

"Something's come up," she spat quickly. "I can't make it tonight for dinner. I'm sorry."

"Sam," James said with an air of disappointment, "this is the fourth time you've broken a 'date' with me. You were the one who wanted to do the whole dating thing in the first place. What's going on with you?"

"It's…complicated," she answered hesitantly. "I wish I could explain it to you, but now's not the time."

"When _is_ the time, then?" he asked firmly. "I think I deserve at least…_watch out_!"

His words were cut off by a large green fireball sailing through the air, on a collision course for James. With Sam standing in front of him, the fireball would surely hit her first, disintegrating her in an instant. Reacting quickly, James grabbed her and pushed her out of the way, just as he jumped away from his sitting spot. The fireball was unrelenting and continued its course. It struck the still tangled ball of Christmas lights with a fiery roar. They slowly melted away, leaving nothing but a small stain on the lawn.

James looked absolutely livid. All of the time put into sorting the lights had been put in the toilet and flushed down the drain in a matter of seconds. His hand lifted itself instinctively, but he quickly lowered it upon realizing that Sam might see everything, prompting a long conversation with her afterwards. He didn't want her to see anything, and with the situation out of his hands he went with the first possibility that flashed through his mind.

* * *

"Number fourteen," Wesley continued as Matthew buried his face deeper into his hands.

"If I died would you stop talking?" Matthew mumbled.

"No," Wesley answered.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted James appear into the room, flashing in and out as if he was being projected onto a screen. Matthew let out an audible sigh of both frustration and relief upon seeing James' clone.

"Trouble outside," James warned. "Sam's out there!"

* * *

"Who are you talking to?" Sam asked, unaware that James had used his power to clone himself. Unfortunately, James still had not mastered the ability to control both clones independently.

"Nobody," James quickly said. "Listen, you have to get out of here. It's not safe."

"What about you?" Sam asked. "What if something happens to you?"

"Don't worry about me," he said. "Just get out of here and we'll talk later."

James pushed her roughly in the opposite direction of the source of the fireball. She turned around briefly to see James dodging another magical attack, sliding along the grass as he narrowly missed the flickering green projectile aimed at his head. She hurried off, not looking back a second time. She knew that James would be able to take care of himself, no matter what happened.

James turned his attention to Sam, checking to see if she followed his directions. Thankfully, she was out of sight and presumably out of danger. As he turned to face the demon, he nearly wet his pants as a fireball, still emanating heat, hovered inches from his face. He looked around and saw Matthew standing alongside Wesley, whose arms remained outstretched.

"You gotta work on your reflexes," James said to Wesley.

"Just do your job and vanquish him," Wesley said nonchalantly to James.

James waved his hand dismissingly, tapping into his telekinetic powers, and the fireball magically flew towards its source, who also stood frozen in place. The instant the fireball touched the demon, both vanished in a banal, hardly impressive conflagration. James joined his brothers, checking the area for anyone who might have witnessed this act of supernatural activity.

"Nobody saw," James said.

"Good," Matthew said. "I see he finished the lights for you."

"I know," James said in a mellow tone.

"Did your girl see any of this?" Wesley asked.

"No," James said. "Looks like she got out in time…again."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Matthew asked.

"She cancelled again," James told his brothers.

"Again?" Wesley asked. "What is this, number sixteen?"

"Four," James corrected him. "I just wanna know what she's up to that keeps her so busy."

"Why don't we focus on who attacked us," Matthew said.

"Let me tell you about women," Wesley said, ignoring Matthew and throwing an arm around James' neck.

"Oh God," Matthew said, covering his ears as they all returned into the house.


	4. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

_Got another chapter done for y'all to enjoy! So please enjoy! And please review, just for the sake of my own sanity!_

_**chyp:** I'm very grateful to have somebody like you who keeps reading and reviewing. If you have any ideas, please send them my way. I'm looking for ideas for the next story!_

* * *

Lindsey and her best friend Carrie stood eagerly over their large pot as it continued to blow plumes of purple smoke into the air. On top of the pot, a steady stream of thick smoke swirled in an endless circular pattern, while just beneath the surface random bubbles burst forth and popped into the air, releasing a mildly grape-reminiscent fragrance. The two friends constantly leaned over their concoction, apparently not getting enough of the enticing smell of the smoke.

"Think it's ready?" Lindsey asked. "Sure smells like it."

"I hope so," Carrie said. "Let's try it."

They held hands and positioned a book on its pedestal, opening it to a particular page. In their other hands, they dropped pieces of paper into the pot, causing a large plume of smoke to billow into the air. The smoke formed into a large heart, prompting the two giggling girls to snicker even more.

"_Magic forces, lend a hand.  
Give us each our perfect man.  
All the qualities we've described,  
In our midst, bring them to life!"_

They stepped back as the heart-shaped smoke suddenly tore into two, each half spinning itself into a new shape. The two spinning swirls formed into two silhouettes of men. As each one took shape, the girls' eyes widened more and more. After minutes of staring, the two shapes finally began to assume human form; the smoke dissipated to reveal flesh, hair grew on top of their heads, and they drew in a deep breath as life filled their lungs.

"What?" one man asked, bewildered beyond his wildest imagination.

"Oh my God!" Carrie whispered to Lindsey. "They're beautiful! Which one's mine?"

"Who cares!" Lindsey responded, equally as ecstatic as her friend.

"H-Hi!" Carrie said timidly to the two men who stood before them. "We brought you here."

"Who are you?" the other man asked, still examining himself. "Who are _we_?"

"You're nothing!" a voice boomed from behind them.

Just behind the two newly created men stood a pale-faced being with obviously gray eyes, balancing what appeared to be a ball of lightning between his hands. Before either of the men could turn around, the being threw the ball. It struck one of the men in the back and he exploded in mere seconds. Rays of light shone from his body as it initially inflated momentarily before blowing up in a blast of purple smoke, which rose into the air and dissolved into nothing. The second man turned to face the demon; he knew his fate. He covered his face with his hands as the second ball of lightning hit him in the chest. Lindsey and Carrie screamed in horror. All of the time and effort spent creating this brew and in the end there was nothing to show for it.

"Who are you?" Carrie asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Do you _know_ how long it took for us to do this?" Lindsey asked.

"Your skills are needed elsewhere," the demon said.

Holding out both hands, he conjured two identical blue spheres that crackled with energy. He threw them at the two girls, who still carried looks of shock on their faces. At the last possible moment, though, Lindsey's eyes flashed a brilliant white color and she held her wrists out in front of her, directly in the path of one of the sparkling projectiles. Her wrists glowed white as a blue ball of energy made contact with them. Upon contact, the blue energy ball simply vanished.

Carrie, meanwhile, leapt gracefully into the air with her hands stretched above her head, narrowly avoiding the other attack. Instead of landing, though, she remained in the air, hovering.

"You can't take us, whoever you are," Carrie announced to the demon.

"We can fight you off," Lindsey added.

"You can defend," the demon corrected, "but you cannot fight."

The demon contemplated his next move as the two girls stayed in their respective places, in the respective defensive positions. He suddenly cast another energy ball at Carrie, who easily dodged it, but failed to see through the demon's intentions. The energy ball struck the roof, shattering a portion of it. Large chunks of wood and other debris rained down on Carrie. Before she knew what happened, she found herself pinned under large beams of wood, unable to move.

"No!" Lindsey shouted out; she barely managed to dive out of the way.

Running to help her friend, she momentarily forgot about the demon as she focused all her attention on getting Carrie out of the pile of debris. That moment was enough for the demon to take advantage of her. The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her back before passing out completely. The demon walked over to them and held both their arms, grinning as the three of them vanished from the room.


	5. Normal Problems

_Alright, folks, here's chapter number five of the newest story of the 'Complete' series. This chapter might not make too much sense, but don't make too much of it, please!_

_**chyp: **You're off the hook. Thanx for reviewing!_

* * *

After two days, James, Matthew, and Wesley managed to put the demonic incident out of their minds and focus on more normal things, especially since no other attacks had occurred since then. Moreover, having vanquished that particular demon so quickly, the three brothers had soon forgotten any identifying features, preventing them from looking for it in the Book. Strangely, Matthew had quite forgotten about the demon, eager to move on with his life. He sat in a chair in the living room, his head buried deep into a newspaper. Then he found it, or did it find him? There in the middle of the page lay a small ad for something that could be just what Matthew needed. He memorized the phone number and dashed off to the kitchen, where his brothers sat watching television.

"You realize that only kids watch this show?" Matthew heard James ask Wesley.

"So I'm a kid," Wesley answered, "but it's still a good show. I learn half of my moves from them?"

"The Power Rangers are fake," James said, "and so are their moves. Tell him, Matt."

"What?" Matthew asked, not paying attention to their conversation. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We just said," Wesley said. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, turning on his heel and leaving the kitchen. "I just need some air."

"You think he's still upset about his girlfriend?" James asked.

"No," Wesley answered sarcastically, "he's upset because they keep changing the taste of Pepsi."

"That's not what I meant," James said, rolling his eyes.

"I know," Wesley said. "He just needs some time. He's not the first person in the world to break up with his girlfriend."

"I guess you're right," James said.

"Of course I'm right," Wesley said. "While we're on the subject, what's going on with your girlfriend, Pam?"

"Sam," James corrected. "We're cool I guess. She breaks a lot of dates, though. She has a lot of emergency meetings at the power company. I can't figure her out."

"You're not supposed to figure women out," Wesley said. "Let me tell you something about how women work…"

* * *

Matthew walked to the backyard and sat on a bench under a large tree, making sure that his brothers were completely out of earshot. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. At the prompt from the automated service, he pushed buttons on the phone for a good ten minutes before he finally reached a real person on the other line.

"Mr. Hart," the other person said, a delightfully airy voiced female. "How can we help you today?"

"Hi," Matthew said timidly, "I'd like to sign up for the next event. It's this weekend, isn't it?"

"Yes," the woman answered as bubbly as she could. "Let me just confirm some things from earlier, okay?"

"Sure," Matthew said.

* * *

Another day came and went for the three brothers, and all remained well. With only three days until Christmas, they ironically seemed to see a lot less of each other. Wesley decided to pass the time by engaging in his newest hobby, writing. In his mind, he clearly pictured himself as a great writer, constantly on the move from place to place doing book signings and readings. His eyes virtually flashed dollar signs as he typed nonstop on his computer. Matthew mysteriously disappeared at any given time of the day, waiting for his brothers to not notice him before slipping out of the house. Neither James nor Wesley knew his motivations, but their own preoccupations kept them from wondering.

Now, James sat across from Sam in an exquisite Italian restaurant located in Buckhead, a prominent suburb of Atlanta, having finally gotten her alone for a dinner date. Barring any strange circumstances, this would only be their second date since she cornered him that particular day, practically dragging him into their first dinner. That was weeks ago, though, and now they were entering date number two. Despite that, in an effort to impress, James wore a slightly shining black suit with a royal blue shirt, highlighted with a blue and black striped tie. Sam wore a sleek black dress with a blue brooch that coincidentally complemented James' shirt.

"Nice place," James said, looking around. "For such a nice place, there sure isn't a lot of decoration, though."

"Well," Sam explained, "the minimalist décor is designed to enhance conversation."

"Oh," James said uneasily. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Sam asked, eager to break the ice.

"My brothers and I are spending it at home," James said. "Long story, don't ask."

"Sounds a little homely, don't you think?" she asked. "Anyone else joining you?"

"Maybe later on," James replied. "What about you? What are your plans?"

"I," she hesitated, "don't know. It's kind of complicated."

"Complicated?" James asked. "There's that 'C' word again. What exactly are these 'complications' that always come up with you? Are you hiding something from me?"

"What I'm hiding," Sam answered, "has nothing to do with you. Besides, everyone's got their secrets."

"Two people who are dating shouldn't keep secrets away from each other," James urged. "Unless they're aiming to break up."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means that I can't date someone who doesn't trust me," James said, grabbing Sam's hand and looking into her eyes. "I'd like to keep dating you. I mean, you started it, didn't you?"

"I wish I could tell you what it is that I'm up to," Sam spoke, returning the gaze, "but you just have to trust me when I say that it's not about you, nor does it have anything to do with you. And do you have any secrets you're not telling me?"

"Don't turn it around," James said, smirking. "And no, nothing that's important."

They continued their conversation, reaching a new level in their neo-relationship. The lack of decoration in the restaurant accomplished its part; James and Sam talked for the rest of the night, learning new things about each other along the way. It was a whole new experience for both of them. James usually dated girls who were more or less like himself, while Sam was the same way. During the course of the night, neither bothered to comment on the strange concept of "opposites attract."


	6. Love Is In The Air

_**chyp: **You know how I feel about you, man. Keep reading and please keep enjoying!_

* * *

Matthew walked into the club, second-guessing his decision to go in the first place. The arrangement was as he expected; dozens of cute tables with two chairs situated across from each other, with red and white tablecloths and frilly designs on the backs of the chairs. A scented candle sat in the center of every table, filling the air with the spicy aroma of peppermint. Alongside the candle, a crystal vase held a mixture of flowers, all red, white, and green, with a single red rose standing taller than the rest. He stood there, transfixed at the possibilities of what could happen later on. His hands never left the pockets of his brown suit. Not thinking ahead, he had chosen a white shirt over a tan one to wear with a tie the same color as the suit. He got so caught up in the decorations that he didn't notice a woman waving her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

"Hello?" she politely shouted, finally getting his attention. "Have you signed in yet?"

"Oh, huh?" Matthew asked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah, I was just about to do that."

"Good," she said, smiling warmly. "After you sign in, you can take a seat over there at one of the tables. We'll be starting in just a minute! Are you excited?"

"Yeah," Matthew answered with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "I'm a little…"

"Nervous," she completed his sentence. "First time doing this?"

"Yeah," he answered, slightly blushing.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, patting his shoulder. "This is a very legit ordeal. There's nothing or no one here who's going to laugh at you, especially not a big, strong man like yourself."

"I…" Matthew said, his head spinning just a little bit, "…think I'll sake my teat, I mean take sy meat, I mean take _my seat_!"

Matthew nervously walked over to an empty table, all the while staring at his watch. His doubts gradually increased over the next few minutes, almost overwhelming him. Why was this so nerve-wracking for him? He had definitely been in worse situations that this. Would he seem desperate? Would he seem lonely? Would he seem like a loser? Many questions flooded his mind as the second hand on his watch seemed to move backwards. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried to take deep breaths to relax.

"You can do this, Matt," he said to himself. "Stop worrying and get into the game."

"Mind if I sit here?" a woman asked, catching him by surprise. "Unless you're not done talking to your imaginary friend, that is."

"Oh!" Matthew jerked his head upwards, sending a few flecks of sweat flying behind him. "No, I was just…talking to myself."

"Well that makes me feel better," the woman said, smiling. "First time?"

"Is it that obvious?" Matthew asked.

"Just a wild guess," she said. "But you never answered my question. Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Please," Matthew said, quickly standing up and rushing over to properly seat her.

She was quite beautiful. Her pale off-white skin gently reflected the dimmed lights of the room. She wore an elegant pink dress, with a plunging neckline that only accentuated the exquisite necklace that hung around her neck. The silver chain held a medium sized gem, the same color as her dress. Her long, dark brown hair flowed freely down to the middle of her back, moving mysteriously as she sat.

Matthew rushed back to his seat, almost falling out of it in the process. He stared deep into her large chocolate-colored eyes before she brought him back to reality, snapping her long fingers loudly.

"Remember me?" she asked, finally regaining his full attention.

"Sorry," Matthew said. "I guess…I've just…you look really beautiful tonight."

"This old thing?" she asked, pretending to bat her eyelashes before breaking into soft laughter. "I'm just kidding. Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, I didn't catch your name?"

"Matt," Matthew answered meekly. "I'm Matt Hart."

"Nice to meet you, Matt Hart," the woman said, extending her hand to shake his. "I'm Ariana."

As their hands grazed each other, Matthew felt an unnerving tingling in his chest. The sensation paralleled his premonition experience, but something distinguished this feeling. Usually during a premonition, Matthew felt a sense of emergency and urgency, and a slight bit of panic. Now, his mind spun inside his head, and he felt a tad giddy. If anything, this feeling was the exact opposite of a usual premonition. A woman, the same one who greeted Matthew at the door, began to speak into a microphone, returning him to his normal state.

"Guys and girls," she announced with an unusually large smile on her face, "welcome to Buckhead's own Club 404, and of course to the Christmas Speed Dating Special! I'll be your speed dating timekeeper tonight. I'm Melissa Scott, and on behalf of all the staff here, we're _so_ excited that you're joining us tonight!"

A wave of applause swept across the club as Melissa stopped to take a deep breath. She waved at some of the people who she met earlier for just a few moments before continuing her welcoming speech. While everyone had previously been giving their full attention to Melissa, a lot of people now focused more on the person sitting across from them, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring. Matthew was no exception; he and Ariana kept whispering things to each other, trying to seem polite.

"…so now here are the rules," Melissa announced, garnering a hush from the crowd. "The first round is the ladies' round. All you beautiful women will stay at your tables while these hunky gentlemen rotate from table to table every two minutes. Round two is the men's round. Same thing as before, but this time the women go from table to table. Trust me, it's not as sleazy as it sounds!

"After the first two rounds, you can narrow down your list of potentials by choosing whether or not you want to revisit a certain table. By then, you should have a small list of people who you think would make for a great companion! Don't worry, it's a lot easier once we get into it, so let's get started! Three, two, one, go!"

She enthusiastically rang the small but loud bell placed on the podium in front of her. The various couples wasted no time in getting to know each other, getting into all sorts of questions and topics. Melissa passed around all the tables, winking at every person she saw and giving them a thumbs up. It was the beginning of a very love-filled evening.


	7. Wasted Pizza

_Here's chapter 6 for everybody to enjoy! I gotta admit, this story's got me a little stumped as I'm struggling to think of a good ending for it, but things'll work out because you know, they always do._

_**chyp: **Thanx to the lone reviewer; you're the wind beneath my writing wings._

* * *

Wesley sat in his room, diligently typing on his computer while listening to very loud music. It helped him to better concentrate, he claimed. He typed for what seemed like hours, constantly rereading and revising certain sections until they met his standard. After two hours, he managed to finish fourteen pages of what he called "perfection." His plan was simple; he wanted to successfully transfer the images in his mind into words that could touch and entertain everyone who read them. He relied completely on his own imagination and personality, pouring his soul into his project.

His brothers worried about his new venture at first, pointing out that it was unhealthy for him to spend the weekends in front of his computer. James told him that it only made him more of a loser than he already was, while Matthew commented that it decreased his social life expectancy by five months for every hour he sat typing. He ignored their teasing, though, and continued to type to his heart's desire.

Finally, the phone rang, breaking his concentration. He finished his current sentence and answered. After over an hour, his pizza had finally arrived. He walked downstairs and opened the door. The delivery boy, appearing to be not much younger than Wesley, stood there with a large pizza box that almost seemed to weigh him down.

"Wesley Williams?" he asked lazily. "Large pepperoni and bacon, extra cheese?"

"Yeah, that's me," Wesley answered, reaching inside his pocket for a twenty dollar bill. "Rough night?"

"Deliveries all night," the delivery boy said. "What a way to spend a Saturday night, huh? Anyway, that's $13.86."

"Don't let it get you down," Wesley said. He passed the money to the delivery boy, smiling. "Keep the change."

He had almost closed the door when he saw the most unusual thing out the corner of his eye. The delivery guy hadn't quite made it to his truck when three people, appearing to be masked men, ambushed him from behind and carried him off down the street. Rolling his eyes and putting his pizza down, Wesley went against his better judgment and decided to follow the burglars.

He grabbed his jacket and tiptoed out of the house, making sure not to slam the door behind him. He had to walk pretty fast, as they had gained a nice lead. Finally catching up to within twenty feet, he ducked behind a small bush in front of a neighbor's house as one of the masked men suddenly turned around, suspicious. Wesley peeked out and resumed his chase. He could hear the muffled screams of the innocent delivery boy and wondered what the men wanted with him. Deciding that it was now or never, he finally made himself known.

"Don't y'all have anything better to do on a Saturday night?" he asked loudly, causing the men to stop and turn around.

"Help me," the delivery boy managed to utter before once again being gagged. He struggled with the two men holding him as the third let go to face Wesley.

"This doesn't concern you," he said. "Now, get out of here while you still can."

"Sorry," Wesley said, "but if this involves kidnapping my friend there, then I think it _does_ concern me. Just let him go…please."

"We'll let him go," the man said, removing his mask to reveal an eerie pair of green eyes, "if you can beat me."

"Beat you?" Wesley asked. "In a fight?"

"No, a game of checkers," the man responded dryly. "I'm warning you, I don't play fair."

"If it's gonna be like that, then," Wesley said, "neither do I."

Wesley, without a second thought, flashed his hands at his adversary. Smirking, the man quickly waved his hand in front of himself and a dull green aura flashed momentarily. Suddenly, Wesley found himself flying through the air, falling into the bush he had hidden behind earlier. He slowly stood to his feet, brushing himself off. What happened, he thought. A faint glow and no explanation of why he had been thrown into the air sounded vaguely familiar, but he had difficulty remembering the connection. Nevertheless, he rushed back to the gang, who laughed smugly at him.

"So we were right," the man with the green eyes said, nodding slowly, "you _are_ a witch, a Complete witch to be exact. which means that we've hit the jackpot. Get rid of the human, we hooked ourselves some _real_ bait here."

The two other men let go of the delivery boy, who immediately broke into a run. After witnessing the supernatural spectacle that had just occurred, his mind completely deserted him, abandoning all logical reasoning. Not knowing what to do, the only thing that registered in his brain was 'get out of here.' He dashed off into the darkness of the street, never turning around to make sure it hadn't all been a bizarre nightmare. The jade-eyed man turned away from Wesley, as if no longer acknowledging neither his presence nor worth, to the running figure in front of him. He rolled his hands together and conjured a small orb of green matter that swirled randomly. He threw it with all his might at the innocent boy, who was oblivious to what was happening behind him.

With a loud gasp, Wesley raised his hands to freeze the green ball before it hit its mark. From out of nowhere, though, the two other men had quite suddenly appeared behind him, and grabbed his arms, rendering him helpless. Together, they watched the greenness strike the boy in his back. The last thing Wesley saw of him was a green blaze that imploded into nothing.

"You killed him!" Wesley shouted at the men, fighting fiercely to escape the grip of the two stronger men. "He was innocent; he didn't do anything to y'all!"

"He served his purpose," the green-eyed man replied. "Now, it's time for you to serve yours. Let's go on a little trip."

"What do you mean?" Wesley asked defiantly.

"You're not in any position to ask questions," the man answered.

Wesley saw the man vanish in a green shimmer and he knew that he wouldn't be far behind. The world turned green before going completely black. The street returned to normal and there was no sign that anyone had even been there at all.


	8. The Dating Game

_**chyp: **Alas, the world proves to not be so one-sided after all. I'm glad you picked up on that, friend. I like to think that it makes the story seem more realistic._

* * *

"And Matt told him that for every hour he stays on the computer," James said to Sam with a smile, "he'll lose five months of his social life."

"Poor guy," Sam responded, smiling broadly. "Seems like you two pick on him a lot."

"It's all out of love," James said. "Besides, the youngest always gets that kind of treatment."

"So I take it you three are really getting along, then?" Sam asked.

"I think so," James answered. "It's only been a little over a year that we've been brothers, but we've been through a lot."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked suddenly waveringly as something unnoticed by James caught her attention.

"You know," James said, thinking of a way to avoid talking about witchcraft. "Just…stuff."

"Sounds like a big secret to me," Sam said slyly as her attention diverted itself again. "I need to go to the powder room. Will you excuse me for just a second?"

"Don't be too long," James said as he watched her leave for the restroom.

Sam walked away from the table, but her steps gradually quickened to a jog by the time she reached the restroom. Thankfully, no one else had the urge to powder their noses at that time, so after checking the room once more, she hastily turned on her heel, disappearing as she did so.

* * *

"It was nice meeting you, Karen," Matthew said as he stood up and excused himself from the table. The bell had just rung, signaling all the men to move to the next table.

Matthew finally felt at ease with the whole situation. After six bell ringings, Matthew found the calm part of himself that had been hiding from him earlier that evening. It was mostly thanks to Ariana, girl number one. Without her even knowing it, she managed to help him feel more comfortable. In fact, hers was the quickest two minutes of the night. But he felt that he should finish the night, especially since round one was still going. He sat down at the next table and choked on air as he saw the person sitting across from him.

"Stephanie?" he asked, remembering how rocky her relationship with Wesley had been a year ago.

"Oh my God, Matt!" Stephanie replied, equally surprised. "I completely wasn't expecting you to be here!"

"Same," he said. "What brings you here tonight?"

"More than likely the same thing that brought _you_ here," Stephanie answered. "Seriously though, I'm just looking for something…new. Oxford's such a small school and you get to know everyone there so quickly, then before you know it everyone's all in your business."

"Right," Matthew agreed. "So how has your night been so far? Find any good ones?"

"A couple," she said. "You?"

"Same," he replied, "but it took me a while to get into it."

"I was the same way!" Stephanie said. "At first I was pretty skeptical, but now I'm comfortable with the whole thing. It's actually kind of fun now that I think about it."

"Yeah," Matthew said. "It's really a good thing to do now that I think about it. These days it's so hard to find people who you can trust. It's nice to see that there are still people who are into the whole old-fashioned way, even though this is hardly old-fashioned. You know what I mean?"

"I understand," she said. "You're right about that. People are so afraid to be themselves that they end up putting on this front, which just makes everything worse when the front wears off, which it usually does."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Matthew said, smiling and taking her hand, which lay on the table next to the flower decorations. "I wonder…"

The bell suddenly rang and the sounds of shuffling seats once again filled the air, but at that same moment, something else drew Matthew's attention away from the entire evening. Upon contacting Stephanie's hand, his mind instantly filled with images of somewhere else. His head throbbed slightly and he took a quick breath as the premonition came to him without warning. _Wesley is talking to three men, of which two are holding someone against his will, as evidenced from his struggling. Wesley raises his hands to freeze, but a light seemingly blocks his power and he is thrown backwards…one man is saying something to him and they all suddenly disappear._ Matthew looked uneasily at Stephanie, who smiled in return. Why had this premonition been triggered by Stephanie? Putting his priorities in order, he returned Stephanie's smile with one of his own and hesitantly stepped out of the club without saying another word.


	9. Misfortunes

_Hey everyone. I heard that there was gonna be some kind of power outage on the website for a couple days, so I decided to post this chapter before I wouldn't be able to, or at least I hope I'm on time!_

_**chyp:** Drunk from a movie, huh? Interesting, indeed._

* * *

Wesley woke up with a throbbing headache. As his eyes opened, his pupils immediately contracted from the brilliant light that shone around him. After slowly adjusting, he found himself in a large room, laying in a small bed, one of many beds where many other people also lay. Something struck him as he took in his surroundings; most of the others laying in their beds looked as stunned and confused as he was, and everyone wore the exact same collar around their necks. It was a simple gray band, made of what seemed to be chrome. Carved into every collar was the same thing, a strange symbol that looked vaguely familiar, but rang no bells. Wesley felt around his own neck and found that he too had been given one, but no matter how hard he pulled, the collar remained fastened around his neck.

He looked once more around the room. Everyone else just lay in their beds, dormant and unwilling to move. No one else bothered to mess with their collars. Maybe they tried before and came to the same conclusion. At any rate, Wesley thought, he needed to figure out the what, where, and why of the situation.

"A newbie, I see," a prematurely gray-haired man said from the bed immediately right of Wesley's. "Don't waste your energy. It's not coming off."

"What is this place?" Wesley asked. "And what am I doing here?"

"If you're here," the man said, "then it means you're a witch."

"Okay…" Wesley said with a drawn out tone.

"And if you're _here_," the man gestured around the room, "then it means you're a witch with one active power. They sort and separate us upon arrival."

"Do they run us through a sifter or something?" Wesley asked dryly. "And who are 'they'?"

"No one really knows," the man replied. "I've been here for seven years and all I've found out is that they're called 'The Order' and they're using witches to find something big."

"Sounds ominous," Wesley said. "By the way, I'm Wesley."

"Joe," the man introduced himself, extending his hand, "Joe Moon. Glad to meet you."

"Same," Wesley said, then scratched his head. "Wait. If everyone in here is a witch, then why hasn't anyone been able to break out of here?"

"It's the collars," Joe answered. "They activate whenever we use our powers. Sends some kind of jolt through your body. The more powerful you are, the more powerful the jolt. Not very pleasant."

Wesley spent the next half-hour talking to Joe and finding out everything he could about what was going on. In the middle of their conversation, though, the lights suddenly turned off and a gruff voice said "Get to sleep." Joe stopped talking at once, leaving Wesley to wonder who exactly these people of The Order were to be able to assert such power over an entire room of at least fifty witches. It intimidated him and he quietly followed Joe's lead, re-retiring to his bed, but he remained awake.

* * *

"Sir," a waiter said, getting James' attention, "I have a message for you from a Miss Samantha."

"Don't tell me," James said, sighing, "something's come up and she had to leave."

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," the waiter said, leaning in closer to James and whispering. "If you want to dump her, I'm here for you."

"Um, thanks," James said, scrunching his face up, "but no thanks. I'm just gonna go."

James left the restaurant in a mixed mood. He felt a simultaneous mix of rejection and anger, but his mind kept swinging back to their conversation about secrets, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of hypocrisy as well. Nevertheless, he had never been the one to break a date on account of "special circumstances."

He climbed into his truck and turned the key. Just then, his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen, wanting the name to read "Sam," but to his dismay, it was only Matthew. Not feeling like talking to anyone, he silenced the phone and slowly drove off, his destination unknown.

* * *

"Dammit," Matthew cursed silently as he threw Wesley's backpack across the room.

Matthew spent the last half-hour touching almost everything Wesley owned; shirts, keys, books, shoes, and some of his favorite foods had all been grabbed in hopes of triggering some insight to where Wesley had been taken. However determined he touched an item, though, Matthew ended up with the same disappointing results. What good was having a new power if it was uncontrollable?

On a related note, where the hell was James, he thought loudly. In addition to looking for clues that would lead to Wesley's whereabouts, he also had been trying to find his brother, if only to have a little help with the task at hand.

Undaunted, he shuffled through more things downstairs in the living room. More books, more notebooks, more papers, more newspapers, and the occasional call to James' cell phone. Randomly, at the touch of a newspaper, Matthew felt that familiar sensation as a premonition rushed to his mind. _Four masked men break a door down, surprising the house's inhabitants, a young married couple and their two twin children, a boy and a girl. The woman quickly grabs her children, throwing herself over them for protection, while the man stands defiantly between the masked men and his family. He throws his hands out and two streaks of lightning, one from each hand, fly towards the men. Just before striking, a strange light flashes and the lightning rebounds back in the direction of the man, who barely dodges it. Before the man can react, three of the four intruders disappear and reappear around his wife and children. They grab his family and disappear in a haze. Horror struck, the man turns to unleash his fury on the remaining man, but he is not there. He turns around and finds the mysterious man suddenly in his face. With no time to react, he is punched in the face and taken by force to wherever his family is._


	10. A Possible Lead

_Behold, a new chapter has been submitted by yours truly! Do you love it?_

_**chyp: **Thanx for your review!_

* * *

Matthew came out of the vision with a confused expression on his face. Although it was very action-packed, it had absolutely nothing to do with his current situation. Moreover, the last thing Matthew needed right now was another problem to deal with, on top of the ones that still remained unchecked on his "to do" list. He fumbled with the newspaper, looking for anything related to his premonition. After skimming through the sports and business sections, he saw a small article with a headline that read: "WOMAN STILL HAS HOPE FOR LOST FAMILY." He looked more closely at the article. It outlined a very plausible trigger for his vision:

"_A determined woman, Marcia Coleman, 58, has not yet given up searching for her family who mysteriously disappeared over 6 months ago. She spent all day yesterday and today at the local police station in Decatur, Georgia, pleading with the personnel to reopen the case that was officially closed two months ago with an 'unsolved' resolution. She asks anyone who may have any information pertaining to her family to please contact her ASAP. She is offering a large reward for any and all help…_"

Matthew's mind quickly went into action as he began to piece the clues together. This woman, Marcia Coleman, wanted to find her family that had been mysteriously taken. Wesley had mysteriously disappeared. In both premonitions he saw people being taken against their wills in the same way; someone grabbed them and disappeared in a haze. The simplest mind could figure out that the same group of people responsible for Wesley's disappearance probably had something to do with Ms. Coleman's family's disappearance as well. The motive, however, remained unclear. As far as he knew, Marcia and her family appeared to be normal, without magical powers. Why else would she put an ad in the newspaper and go to police? Matthew scrunched his eyes in deliberation. There was only one way to find out.

* * *

A demon in human disguise, the same one as before, once again approached his master to give the latest activity report. His emotionless gray eyes held back a bit of excitement, as he knew that this time he would surely bring happiness to his master. If anything, he wanted more power, he _needed_ more power, and the best way to attain that goal was satiating his superior. He slowly walked down the long corridor, keeping his cold gray eyes ahead of him, not letting them wander around to the other demon attendants standing around him. Only when he came within sight of his master did he avert his eyes, keeping in mind what happened the last time an inferior dared make eye contact with the pale-eyed superior. Even thinking about it sent uncomfortable chills down his spine. He waited patiently for the head demon to initiate the conversation.

"I have heard you have some good news," the master finally spoke after eyeing the gray-eyed demon for a few minutes as a test. "I will be the judge of that."

"Master," the lesser demon said, "we have acquired three more witches, including one of _them_."

"_One_ of _them_?" the superior demon shouted as his colorless eyes opened wider. "You acquired _one_ of them?"

"Yes, master," the demon said, not yet knowing if he had brought joy or anger to his master. "We were able to take the youngest, the time-stopper."

"You _fool_!" the master bellowed. The other guards in the chamber immediately disappeared upon hearing the unsettling tone in his voice. "Only taking one will cause the other two to come looking for him. Everything I have worked for, everything I have sacrificed, it will all be ruined! Why weren't you able to take all three?"

"I…" the demon stuttered, "w-we thought th-that it would b-be bet-better to take them o-one by o-one. W-We thought it w-would weaken the o-others."

"You th-thought that all by y-yourself?" the master mocked. "Well you were wrong. Listen to me, and listen carefully. Stop all other efforts to acquire more witches, and put everyone on the task of taking the remaining two. To have all three in my possession is necessary for me to implement my plan of raising my brother from Hell. Go!"

The demon, out of intimidation and fear, disappeared from his master's presence at once, not even taking the time to walk away. The master rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A taller demon, dressed as a military officer, blinked into the chamber immediately, bowing respectfully low to his superior.

"I understand that one of the Complete is now in your possession," the head demon said. "Find him and keep a very close eye on him. His brothers will more than likely come to save him. Prevent that at all costs."

"Yes, sir," said the demon, briskly raising his left hand to his head in a salute before blinking out of the chamber.


	11. An Ambushed Ambush

_Hey everybody, this Wesley. Here's the newest chapter for y'all to enjoy, so please enjoy it!_

_**chyp: **You know how I feel…_

* * *

The music of 95.5 The Beat floated everywhere but in James' ears as he absentmindedly drove. The evening had come and gone; it was dark outside and James found himself on a stretch of road that would have been completely dark save for his headlights. His lack of thought landed him in an area of Atlanta that he knew nothing about, but at the moment more important matters whirled about in his head.

What exactly was Sam doing? What was she into? What was so important that she couldn't miss it? These and other questions occupied James' time. He knew in the back of his mind that there probably were very good answers to those questions, and furthermore that he also had secrets of his own. However, his mannerisms seemed to shift from those of a witch to those of a normal boyfriend.

Of all the people he had ever dated, Sam definitely ranked at the top of his list for "most mysterious." Perhaps that explained his desire to date her, his want to know her better. To him, her mysterious nature was what propelled his intrigue, although it also acted as a major obstacle in their path. It was the duality of the situation that ate away at James so much. Normally, a woman with Sam's characteristics would be dropped for a more available woman. There was something about her, though, something that made her that much more desirable, that trumped all of his ways of thinking.

As he drove further down the lightless road, he was unaware of two men, dressed in black, waiting just ahead. Despite the total lack of light, they were somehow perfectly able to see their way. Their plan wasn't very complicated; surprise James and take him back with them. It seemed so easy that there was not a need for anything more sophisticated. Powerful as they were, all three brothers were still relatively new to the ways of witchcraft.

Slowly the truck approached the area where the two men lay in wait. A rather large bush concealed their bodies and ski masks covered the majority of their faces; only the incredible greenness of their eyes was visible. As James drew closer and closer, they rubbed their hands in anticipation, creating faint balls of green fire that gradually grew larger.

"Ready?" one man asked to his partner.

"Just a couple more minutes," the other replied. "Then, when this is all over, there'll only be one more left to get."

"With two already out of the way," the first man said, "the third will be easy prey."

"This will surely raise our status," the second stated. "Xernevod will be pleased with our success."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" a voice asked from behind. The two men suddenly turned to see a silhouette standing there with its hands on its hips. "I mean, you haven't even done anything yet, and you're already talking about your new status with…Xernevod, was it?"

"Who are you?" the first man asked.

"No one you know," the voice responded. "Just these words of caution, boys. Leave my boyfriend alone."

The two demonic cronies immediately turned their attention to the silhouette. They threw their green fireballs without hesitation, but their foe seemed to know that they would do that, and had already disappeared from the site. As the two men searched around themselves desperately, a foot came from nowhere and kicked the second crony in the back, pushing him into the first. The first man, scared by the noise, quickly conjured another green fireball and accidentally aimed it at his partner, destroying him. He silently gasped at what he had done.

"Who is this Xernevod?" the voice asked as its owner grabbed the remaining demon in a headlock. "What does he have to do with the disappearing witches?"

A short silence followed the question. The demon took a small sniff at the air, smelling something noticeable. He shot his elbow backwards and caught his enemy in the ribs. Upon hearing a groan, he threw himself to the ground, catching his opponent by surprise. He rolled away and was able to catch sight of the person who had caused him to kill his own partner.

"A woman!" he spat. "You'll pay dearly for what you have done."

"Try me," she said, breathing heavily and holding a hand over where she had been struck.

A fierce but brief battle ensued as the two clashed. The demon was surprised by the strength and ability of this woman, who managed to match him punch for punch, kick for kick. His arrogance got the best of him; no matter how powerful, no woman would ever be able to defeat the meekest of demons, he thought. He brought his hand back and launched it full force at the woman's face. It struck air as the woman faded from her spot just in time. She caught him off guard and kicked him in the back, just like she did the other demon. He fell to the ground as she snickered.

"I thought you were a challenge," she said as she walked off.

"No woman will ever defeat me!" he roared, jumping back to his feet. Her belittling words had enraged him even further.

He produced another green fireball in his hand, this one larger than the others, and threw it with all the force he could muster. Without turning to face it, the woman simply threw up her right hand in a "stop" fashion and the fireball disappeared and reappeared on a new path: toward the demon. She disappeared just as she heard the yells of the demon as his own attack destroyed him.

Meanwhile, James carried on driving and wondering, oblivious to anything that had happened in the past few minutes.


	12. A Witch In Need

_Alright everyone, here's the next chapter of the story. Let's all enjoy it the best way possible!_

_**chyp: **You're like my best friend on here. Can't thank you enough for continuing to review!_

* * *

"Excuse me," Matthew said as a woman opened her front door. "Is this 613 McClure Avenue?"

"Yes," an African-American appearing to be in her fifties answered. She wore a house robe and she looked completely disheveled. "Who are you?"

"My name is Matthew Hart," Matthew said. "Are you Marcia Coleman?"

"Yes," she said, "and let me save you some time. I already subscribe to the _Atlanta Journal-Constitution_, the _Decatur Daily_, the _Buckhead Bounce_, and any other newspapers you might have. I'm diabetic, so I don't eat many sweets. And I don't need any more encyclopedias. My grandson only used them one time to look up 'female genitalia.'"

"No, you've got it all wrong," Matthew corrected her, holding his hands up as if he were surrendering. "I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm here to hopefully help you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I read in the newspaper that you're still looking for your missing family," Matthew said. "I thought that maybe I could help you."

Marcia's eyes scanned Matthew up and down, wondering whether or not Matthew's words were genuine or not. It took a good couple of minutes before she said anything. All the time she had spent worrying about her family, and all the time she spent trying to convince others that she was not crazy for still wanting to find them, all affected her ability to trust people these days, especially strangers. Matthew, on the other hand, remained silent and waited patiently for Marcia to respond, somehow sensing her afflicted emotions.

"Come in," she finally said, widening the door so that Matthew could enter. "Have a seat in the living room. I'll fix you some coffee. Cream and sugar?"

"Yes, please," Matthew said, following Marcia into the living room. "You have a very nice house, Mrs. Coleman. How long have you lived here?"

"Thank you," she replied from the kitchen. "I've been here so long I've forgotten. But if I had to guess, I'd say about twenty-five years."

"Wow," Matthew said, settling down into a comfortably broken-in reclining chair.

"You aren't from around these parts, are you?" Marcia asked. "You sound like a Yankee, no offense of course."

"Is that a Southern thing?" Matthew asked, "Yankee?"

"More like common knowledge," she replied, joining him in the living room with a tray.

The room was rather spacious, but overflowing with a little bit of everything. Pictures of almost everyone Marcia knew adorned every wall in the room. A large bookshelf showcased various types of books from encyclopedias (she really owned them) to romance novels. The sofa on which she sat was situated adjacently to Matthew's reclining chair, which in turn faced the flat screen television. In front of both the sofa and the chair stood a beautiful cream colored coffee table, complete with magazines and newspapers, all neatly arranged, with what appeared to be volumes of photo albums under the table.

"Here's your coffee," Marcia said, pouring coffee into a brown mug.

"Thank you," Matthew responded.

"My son-in-law hates coffee," she spoke. "Says it runs right through him."

"My brother says the exact same thing," Matthew commented.

"Now," Marcia said, her voice becoming more serious and conserved, "tell me exactly who you are and why you're here to help. Are you a detective? I've hired plenty of them and none of them have been able to find anything."

"No," Matthew said. "I'm not a detective, inspector, police officer, agent, none of that. I just have a feeling that I can help you. If you don't want to trust me, that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't know whether or not I could trust a total stranger under the same circumstances myself."

"Very well," she said. "What kind of feeling do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain," Matthew said. "My younger brother, the same one who hates coffee, was also taken, very recently. I think that the same people who kidnapped your family had something to do with his disappearance. Could you tell me a little about your family, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well," she started, now feeling more at ease for some reason and fumbling through her photo albums, "my Charity has always been a good girl. She works as a teacher and wants to become a principal, so she's been taking more classes and getting more certifications and everything. She works very hard. She married Derrick, the son of a family friend. Well he's just the perfect boy next door. Tall, handsome, and grounded. He's a minister who's planning on getting his own church. He also works as a motivational speaker. He travels a lot because of it, but somehow he's always there for Charity.

"They blessed me with two beautiful grandchildren, twins. George and Tina are so lovely, here look at these pictures. Don't you just want to take them home? And so smart, too! They're only about ten, but they're both straight A students. My husband died a few years ago, and they're the only family I have left. Sometimes it gets a little lonely around here in this big ol' house, but they come over every week for a visit and it's such good times…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Matthew said, "but why are you talking about them in the present tense? They've been missing for over six months."

"Talking about them in the present makes them seem closer," Marcia explained. "It makes me feel hopeful that they'll come back, you know what I mean? I'm not a fool. I know how long they've been gone. I remember the day they were taken. All the lights were on in their house. Televisions on, some popcorn still in the microwave. It just wasn't right for all that to be without them there. But I know that they're alright. They can take care of themselves. Besides, the twins have a birthday coming up soon. They don't want to miss Mama Cia's Chocolate cake. It's their favorite kind, you know."

"What do you mean when you say that they can take care of themselves?" Matthew inquired, obviously trying to steer the conversation somewhere more useful with even the subtlest of clues. "Do they fight or something? Are they trained counselors?"

"No," she said, laughing, "nothing like that. Now, I like you, Matthew. You seem like a nice young man. You're well spoken and have good manners. That's rare for a Yankee, so I'm going to tell you something. Now you might think this is strange, but they…_we_…are kind of special."

"Everyone's family is special to them," Matthew smiled. "It's only natural."

"No," Marcia repeated, this time more firmly. "I mean we are really _special_. You might not believe in this, but we're…well, witches."


	13. Pieces Of The Puzzle

_It's April! Only about 3 more months until I'm out of Japan and back to my comfort zone! Pray for me, y'all, pray for me!_

_**chyp:** Thanx much!_

* * *

A wave of relief swept over Matthew as those words echoed through his head. The fact that Marcia's family was also supernatural filled in a lot of gaps in the mystery, as well as made the conversation flow much more freely.

"I don't believe that at all!" Matthew exclaimed. "That's such a relief."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"My brothers and I," Matthew said, "are also witches. The real reason I came here is because I had a premonition of your family being kidnapped. I had one of my brother being kidnapped as well and I believe that there's a strong connection with the two kidnappings. But I didn't want to come straight out and say it because I didn't know whether or not you were."

"You're a witch?" Marcia asked. "That _is_ a relief. Premonitions, you say? That's a very special gift."

"Maybe in the future," Matthew said. "It's a new power and I can't control it at all. It comes and goes."

"There's a reason for everything," Marcia advised. "Don't try to understand things until they're meant to be understood. Come to think of it, though, I don't think anyone in my family had premonitions. It's a very rare power. Derrick is a telekinetic, able to move things with his mind. My Charity can heal people. She's a healer. Those twins are just polar opposites, though. George can freeze things into solid ice, but Tina is very hot-headed and can shoot fire. It was the same power my husband had, God rest his soul until _I _get there!"

"Haven't you been able to try and find them…supernaturally?" Matthew asked.

"Of course," Marcia answered. "I've tried scrying, spells, everything I could think of. It's like they're not even on the planet. Scrying makes my crystal shatter into pieces. They're not cheap, either. Spells just don't work at all. I don't know what else to do. That's why I keep turning to the authorities. Maybe they know something I don't."

"I promise I'll do my best to find them," Matthew said. "I pretty much don't have a choice."

"I really appreciate that," Marcia said. "If there's anything, anything at all that you need to help you, please let me know."

"Can you tell me more about the people who took them?" Matthew asked. "Anything you know might help me out."

* * *

James finally made his way home. He inched his way inside, neglecting to turn on the lights, and threw himself onto the sofa, exhausted. He fell asleep almost instantly, with images of Sam and all kinds of possibilities about what made her such a mystery going through his mind.

An hour and a half later, Matthew walked in. The darkness from outside crept into the house, but scattered as Matthew flipped the light switch. He found James on the sofa, sleeping soundly, or rather snoring loudly, in his dress clothes. Whether it was a bad date or plain exhaustion, Matthew seemed not to care. The last couple of hours spent at Marcia Coleman's residence gave him more information that he needed to help save Wesley and the Millers, Derrick and his family.

"Jimmy," Matthew said, putting his keys on the coffee table and taking off his coat, "wake up. We have a situation. Jimmy? Jimmy. JIMMY!"

James woke up with a jump. Having been abruptly awakened, he rolled off the sofa and landed with a thump onto the floor. He wiped his saliva-covered mouth and looked around as if he had forgotten where he was in the first place.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Wake up," Matthew repeated. "We have work to do. Homeboy's been kidnapped and we need to find him and another family."

"Huh?" James asked, stretching and yawning simultaneously.

"I'm going down to get the Book," Matthew said to James. "You better be sitting up when I get back."

James, still slightly confused, repositioned himself on the sofa, this time upright. His brain seemed to still have a few glitches in it, but gradually his senses returned to normal and Matthew's words began to make more and more sense. Wesley kidnapped? The Book? Another family? These issues hit him in one large blow as he snapped to reality. Almost immediately afterwards, a wave of guilt crashed onto his conscience. He had spent the entire evening preoccupied with his date with Sam. His cell phone was virtually filled to the brim with calls from Matthew. He should have guessed that something had happened.

"Good," Matthew said, returning into the living room with their oversized Book of Light. "Here's what I got so far. I had a premonition of Wesley being kidnapped by some strange people. And I saw the same thing happen with this other family. That's where I've been for the last two hours. Why haven't you been answering your phone? Let me guess, the date was a flop?"

"She bailed," James said. "What I don't understand, though, is why I'm letting it get to me so much."

"Could be because you're actually falling for this one," Matthew suggested. "But let's save that for later. We need to look for something called the 'Order of Invision.'"

"Invision?" James repeated. "As in the same guy we vanquished a while back?"

"I don't know yet," Matthew said, flipping through the Book without lifting his head. "It might."

"Should we try a spell or something?" James asked. "Maybe that scrying thing?"

"Won't work," Matthew said. "It would make the crystal shatter, and apparently they're not cheap."

"Oh," James said. "I wonder what the bigger picture is. You know? What the connection is between that family you're talking about and Wesley."

"That's a good one," Matthew said. "You start thinking about that. Oh, here's something about the Order. '_The Order of Invision is a group of very high level demons, led by Invision (see Fallen Angels). Their mission is to find a particular item, the Gem of Legend, that can increase their powers one hundredfold. They capture good witches to search for the Gem, which is rumored to be located in the magical Caves of Moor._' That's all it says about them."

"That's not much to go off of," James said. "How are we supposed to get to them if we can't find them?"

"No idea," Matthew said, "but if they're mixed up with Invision, we need to hurry and find something quick. Remember what happened the last time we went up against them?"

"I ended up two inches tall with a crappy power," James mumbled loudly.

"Shut up," Matthew countered. "Maybe a spell or something. I'll look in the Book for one."

"Maybe I can help you out," a hooded man said from behind.


	14. Fighting A Losing Battle

_Here's yet another chapter. I think this is the longest story I've worked on thus far, so bear with me while I try to end it gracefully and un-awkwardly. The way it's going, I see a good few more chapters in store for this story…I'm doing the best I can!_

_**chyp: **Thank you kindly. Bringing back characters from old stories every now and then gives the whole series a kind of continuation, I like to think._

* * *

James and Matthew turned around to see a man, one who resembled the kidnappers from Matthew's premonition, along with three others. They appeared to come from nowhere, and surrounded the two brothers, each one laughing.

"Don't they look a little familiar?" James asked, keeping both eyes on the intruders.

"Like the ones who attacked when we were doing the Christmas lights?" Matthew answered as he and James slowly backed against each other.

"Four against two," James said with a sneer. "It's almost unfair."

Without warning, James jumped into the air, leaping over the sofa, and landed right next to one of the men. He threw a punch that landed in the man's stomach, causing him to keel over. With a follow up using his other arm, the man was knocked into the dining room table, smashing it in the process.

"Watch what you're doing!" Matthew shouted. "That stuff's not cheap, either!"

Matthew had meanwhile engaged himself with two men at the same time. He quickly ducked as they both threw their fists at him. Using his boxing reflexes, he grabbed both their arms and pulled them together, slamming them into each other. He kicked one in the back and the two found themselves backing uncontrollably into a wall.

James waved his hand at one of the chairs left standing. It rose from its place and hurled itself at the fourth man. The man crossed his arms and absorbed the force of the chair. The impact forced him back a few feet, but otherwise he felt fine. That is, until he saw James suddenly running at him. There was no time to react as James' fist connected with his jaw. The bone crunching blow took the man into the air as he landed on the floor with a thud.

"That's that," James said, brushing his hands.

"Jimmy!" Matthew called. "Watch out!"

James suddenly turned around to see the first man he thought was still becoming acquainted with the dining room table. He had taken one of the pieces of splintered wood and swung it at James with all his might. With a quickness, James barely managed to bring his hand up to protect his face. His left arm caught the full impact of the large plank. He quickly snatched his arm back in pain and looked at the man with an undeniable hatred. With his uninjured hand, he waved it ferociously at the man. However, a faint green aura flashed in front of him and his power came back at him, throwing him into Matthew, who was busy fending off the other two men twenty feet away.

He crashed into Matthew and the two of them fell to the floor, James still clutching his bleeding, splintery arm. Matthew had just enough time to sweep his foot under one of the men to keep him from attacking then. He jumped back to his feet, but with James still on the ground, the odds shifted to four against one as the four men regrouped and advanced together. His powers not completely offensive in nature, Matthew grabbed James off the floor and tried to settle him. James had passed out from the blinding pain in his arms, which now bled freely.

Each of the four men raised their hands, conjuring small green flames that hungrily flickered in their hands. They threw them at Matthew and James. Still trying to keep James on his feet, Matthew had no time to defend himself and the last thing he saw was green.

* * *

"Kill me now," Wesley muttered. "Manual labor sucks. We must've been out working for the whole day."

"It's only been a few hours," Joe said. "It's lunchtime. At least they give us that much."

After five grueling hours of digging in dank, dark caves, Wesley and the other witches stationed in his quarters finally received a brief rest period for lunch. Their superiors, a group of green military uniformed demons, allowed them to return to their quarters for one hour only to rest, eat, and prepare themselves for the afternoon part of the work schedule.

Wesley barely made it to his small bed and fell onto it, no longer caring that the bed's mattress seemed to be made from wood and other non-soft materials. Having never been forced to work so extensively, the five hours of the morning drained him completely. There was no way that he could be asked, or forced, to do anything in one lousy hour.

"Looks like we have a new witch in here," Joe said to Wesley, who paid him little to no attention. "I'm gonna go and introduce myself, calm him down a little bit. You rest up. They don't show any mercy."

Wesley lay motionless on his hard bed, wondering what kind of miracle it would take to get him out of this situation. He thought long and hard about using his powers, but grimaced at the thought of thousands of volts of electricity surging through his body. Somehow, it didn't seem worth the risk. There had to be a way out of those collars, he thought. What it was, though, he had absolutely no idea. If only Matthew or even James were there to help him…

Time seemed to race by as the seconds quickly added up. Before he knew it, Wesley had laid down for almost a full hour, and his condition seemed even worse than before. His joints ached. His muscles felt strained. No part of him felt fine. Joe joined him not much later.

"Hope you're feeling better," he told Wesley. "I've been talking to the new guy over there. He told me he was a phaser, whatever that means. Name was…"

"Matt!" Wesley chimed in, a smile crossing his face. "His name was Matt, wasn't it?"

"You know him?" Joe asked.

"He's my brother!" Wesley exclaimed, jumping up. "Long story, don't ask. Where did you say he was?"


	15. Trapped

_With the posting of this chapter comes a wonderful announcement! I've just finished writing this story in its entirety! Congratulations to me! Now, I'm hard at work on the next episode, but if anyone has ANY ideas, no matter what, by all means shoot me an e-mail._

_**chyp: **I'm glad you liked it._

* * *

James awoke with a long, rumbling groan, not by volition, but from the searing pain in his arm. He looked at it. Someone had treated it and it now rested in a cast, but the pain still remained there, not ready to leave. He slowly sat up and examined his surroundings. He appeared to be in a large room full of other people with injuries. Long lines of beds spanned the length of the entire room. No one seemed to be around to treat any of them, though. He stood to his feet, feeling a little woozy.

"Where are you going?" a voice asked. "They're not gonna let you leave."

"Huh?" James asked. "Who are 'they?'"

"The Order," the voice replied. "Once you're here, you're here. I should know. I've been here for years."

"Who are you?" James asked. "Are you a witch?"

"The name's Jacinda Tavaras," the woman responded, "emphasis on the 'va.' And you are?"

"Jimmy Armstrong," James said, "emphasis on the 'arm.'"

"I can see that," Jacinda said, pointing to James' injured arm. "How'd you get it? Were you in a fight? Was it supernatural? What kind of powers do you have?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?" James asked as politely as he could muster. "Sorry. I'm just a little confused right now. I hurt my arm fighting the people who brought us here, the Order, I guess."

"Who's 'us?'" Jacinda asked. "You were brought here with someone else?"

"Yes," he answered. "My brother and I were both taken."

"You have a brother?" Jacinda asked. "That must be nice. Are you two close? I wish I had siblings, but I don't. It's kinda lonely, not having brothers or sisters, but it has its perks. I don't have to share anything with anyone."

"If I died would you stop talking?" James asked, sounding as if he had been the one talking excessively.

"Sorry," she said. "Sometimes I get too caught up in my talking. It happens sometimes."

"No matter," James said, scratching his head. "What matters now is finding my brothers so that we can get the hell out of here, wherever we are."

"Brothers," Jacinda asked, "as in more than one?"

"Two," James replied. "Me and my two brothers."

"How many powers do they have?" Jacinda asked. "That's how they separate us, by the number of powers we have. We're still in the medical ward, so they just bunch us all in here together. But when we get out, it's back to the quarters. I've got two, myself. I'm an electro-kinetic and a teleporter."

"I'm telekinetic," James said, "and can clone myself. My brothers each have two, well kind of."

"If they can control it," Jacinda explained, "it counts."

"Then one," James corrected.

* * *

Wesley tiptoed to Matthew's bed, despite the extreme soreness that engulfed his body. Bells had rung just seconds before, causing all the other captured witches to file out of their quarters in their usual depressed fashion. He made sure to keep a low profile, to avoid any suspicious activity lest he be found out. He slunk over to his brother's bed, where Matthew lay with a bandage on his head.

"Matt," he whispered, "what are you doing here?"

"Homeboy?" Matthew asked, raising his head briefly before dropping it again. "I have a killer headache and a cold collar around my neck."

"Yeah," Wesley said, "they're not a very good look for anybody around here. Listen, where's Jimmy?"

"I don't know," Matthew answered. "I just got here. All I know is that he was hurt pretty bad before I ended up here."

"Damn it," Wesley cursed silently. "We have to get out of here. Any ideas?"

"_Me_?" Matthew asked. "_You're_ the one who's been here longest. _You_ got anything to share?"

"Sorry," Wesley said, throwing his hands up in defense, "didn't mean to start anything. Well, apparently, these collars keep us from using our powers, so if we can get them off, then maybe we can go from there."

"That's a monumental conclusion," Matthew said. "That's all you've been able to come up with?"

"Yes," Wesley said, smiling a little bit.

Just before he could open his mouth, his face immediately scrunched up and twisted to one of utter pain and discomfort. He fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably as something unseen sent jolts of electricity surging powerfully through his body. A guard walked in soon after, with a small green remote control in his hands. He grinned slyly as he watched Wesley suffer. Matthew reached over to help him, but the moment they came into contact, he began shaking as well, somehow sharing the same pain as Wesley.

"You shouldn't touch someone with an activated collar," the guard said as he reluctantly used the remote to switch off the two brothers' collars. "It'll just activate your own. No wonder it went off in the first place. Missing from the caves, I see. And from the looks of it, I'd guess that you two are a couple of the _special_ ones, if you know what I mean. I think it's best that you get back out there to those caves, time-stopper, and leave the phaser alone until he's ready to work."

"I have a name," Wesley said as he still shook involuntarily.

"Of course you do," the guard said. "It's OIMC4SW3. Now get to work."


	16. Where Is The Hope?

_Just a day in the life…another day, another chapter…_

_**chyp: **If I could send you a gift, I would…_

* * *

The days passed painstakingly slowly; each minute seemed like an hour, each hour seemed like a day, and every day felt like a never-ending mass of time, bound to end at some point but not anytime soon. The day after Matthew arrived the members of the Order of Invision put him to work, making sure that his designated cave and Wesley's cave had plenty of distance between them. A few days later, James found that his arm, while still a little tender, functioned enough for him to start working, according to the Order. His cave lay even further from his brothers'. Each of them worked quietly and obediently, even Wesley. They all knew that if they ever wanted to make it out of the caves alive, rebelling was probably the worst thing to do.

Christmas came and went without notice. None of the demons of the Order made any reference to it, and none of the captive workers seemed to want to even acknowledge it. In this world, every day was the same. The distinction between weekdays and weekends mattered no more; each day was simply a working day. Holidays, all kinds of holidays, meant nothing to anyone because there was no occasion to celebrate them. The isolation slowly turned the captives into drones with no sense of self, and no sense of direction. They came to realize that they existed for one purpose only: to work in the caves.

Another day came and went, and all the workers retired to their quarters as usual, all dropping like flies onto their beds for much-needed sleep. Wesley carefully tiptoed his way over to Matthew's bed, hiding himself around the others so that he wouldn't be easily noticed. He had tucked his pillow and his socks under his sheets, making it seem that he was asleep. When he felt that he was okay, he gently pulled on Matthew's sheets.

"Matt?" he whispered, "you still up?"

"No," Matthew responded. "What is it?"

"Merry Christmas," he said, trying to force a smile but eventually giving up from exhaustion. "How are you?"

"How do I look?" Matthew asked.

"You always look like that," Wesley said, injecting a little life into his brother. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"How can you still be so…bubbly?" Matthew asked. "I would've thought that you'd be down a long time ago."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Wesley whispered dryly. "Listen, I've found out that Jimmy is in another room. As far as I can tell, he's doing okay, give or take a little bit. Have you found the family you're supposed to save yet?"

"I stopped looking," Matthew sighed.

"You stopped looking?" Wesley repeated a little louder. "Why?"

"Look at this place," Matthew said, sitting up in his bed and gesturing around the room. "We're stuck in this place for the rest of our lives. We can't get these collars off. We can't get out. I've thought of almost every possibly way I can, but they all end up in the same conclusion."

"I can't believe you're saying this," Wesley said, looking straight into Matthew's eyes. "After everything we've all been through, you can't just give up on this. We've been in situations a lot worse than this…"

"Have we?" Matthew asked, cutting Wesley off. "This is a first. We've finally met our match. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

"So this is the worst," Wesley said. "That just means that we have to work extra hard. Do you know who we are? Do you know who _you_ are? I'm sure Jimmy's doing a lot better than you are right now. You think about that."

Wesley stalked back angrily to his bed, not caring who saw him at that point. He slowly crept under the covers and fell asleep, sweating from the overwhelming feelings of having heard what he heard from Matthew. If anything, Matthew had always been the most rational of the three of them. He always had it all together. He was always the most calm and composed. How could everything change so suddenly, Wesley thought to himself. Something definitely was wrong with him. Matthew, no matter how he felt, never came across as one who gave up when things seemed infinitely futile. Wesley felt alone more than ever. If he couldn't rely on Matthew, and if James remained in an unknown location, how could he handle things?

* * *

"This job sucks," James muttered as he returned to his bed.

"You get used to it," Jacinda said in a semi-comforting tone. Her bed was next to his. "Besides, if you're really one of…_them_…then I'm sure that you can find a way out of here."

"Not if I can't even figure out where they are," James said. "I can't think of anything that could help me find them. This damn collar won't let me do anything."

"You'll think of something," Jacinda said, patting James' shoulder. "You're one of the C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E. That's pretty important."

"Maybe you're right," James said, rubbing his chin. "I just have to think a little bit."

James twiddled his thumbs as he lay in his bed, racking his brain for any sort of inkling of a clue that might help his plight. Possessing neither Matthew's ingenuity nor Wesley's cleverness, James took a considerable amount of time thinking of a solution. Being somewhat one-track-minded, however, all the ideas that came into his head ended the same way; the collar killed him. There had to be a way out of the collar; nothing was impenetrable, especially to one of the Complete. Think, he ordered himself, think hard about everything. The Order could not have thought of absolutely everything. What did they forget?


	17. Wesley's Fooled

_As of this posting, I have exactly 100 days left in Japan…I'm so excited that I could do cartwheels around the office!_

_**chyp:** With a comment like that, you just earned yourself a place in my next story!_

_**Caralynne: **Thanx for reviewing! It gives me that much more inspiration to keep on going!_

* * *

"I got it," Matthew said to himself quietly as he rested in his bed. He looked as if something had just fallen on his head. The expression on his face carried a combination of surprise and confusion. He checked to see if Wesley was awake, but he was fast asleep. He quietly crept around the quarters to Joe's bed, lightly tapping him awake. "Joe? Wake up, Joe."

"Huh?" Joe mumbled as he turned in his sleep. "Don't leave me."

"Wake up," Matthew said, shaking him more vigorously. "It's me, Matt."

"Matt?" Joe asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," Matthew said. "Meet me tomorrow right after breakfast. And don't tell my brother about anything. It's very important."

"You got it," Joe said. They both turned to look at Wesley. He sported a very noticeable frown on his sleeping face, no doubt caused by Matthew's new outlook on life. Matthew sighed and returned to his bed, hoping that whatever idea he had would be of some use.

He made his way over to another end of the expansive quarters. He found Derrick and Charity, laying silently in their adjacent beds, with George soundly asleep in the bed next to Charity's. Making sure that both parents were up, he crawled in between their beds and sat on the floor.

"Hi," he said. They responded only by giving him a strange stare. "I know you don't know me, but my name is Matt and I was sent here to help you."

"How?" Derrick asked. "How are you supposed to help us when you can't even help your own self?"

"Honey," Charity began, "calm down. He's not responsible."

"I," Matthew continued, looking more towards Charity's direction now, "I spoke to your mother, Marcia, before I was brought here. She told me all about you and your children. I promised her that I'd bring you back. I'm not going back on that promise. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that."

"You know my mother?" Charity asked, her eyes briefly lighting up with excitement. "Wh-Who exactly _are_ you? Why do you care about us?"

"It's a long story," Matthew said, "but you'll just have to trust me."

"We used to trust a lot of people," Derrick cut in. "Look at where that got us. We're slaves in this…place…and our little girl is dead. What do we have to live for now? What hope do we have?"

"Excuse him," Charity said, taking Derrick's arm.

"I understand," Matthew said, looking them both deeply in the eyes. "And I'm really very sorry about Tina. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love. The hurt, the pain, the feeling of loneliness and despair, it never truly goes away. But you have to be strong for George. It's one thing to be angry over it, but you can't let it consume you, otherwise you won't be able to help George. He's gonna do a lot of good in his life, but only if you're there to help him through. Don't let him down."

"Thank you," Charity said, smiling faintly at Matthew's words.

"What are you, a grief counselor or something?" Derrick asked sourly.

"No," Matthew said. "I'm just someone who cares. I'll leave you two alone now. Nice to have met you. Don't forget what I said."

* * *

The next morning went just like any other. Loud sirens startled most of the captive witches awake, while demons from the Order prodded the rest of them until they were all alert. The demons herded their prisoners to a large room resembling a cafeteria, but a lot more depressing. All the walls, all the chairs, everything had a dullish gray hue to it. All the light from outside stayed outside on account of the lack of windows. Everyone sat quietly at their table where a grayish sludge appeared from out of nowhere. It had a distinct taste, but no one could quite put a finger on it. The sludge's taste seemed to be a combination of many things, most notably leather and onions. It's resilient chunky consistency only brought more possibilities of what exactly constituted the mysterious food, if it could even be called that.

At the end of breakfast, the witches returned to their quarters for a short while before the usual work began. During that short recess, Matthew waited patiently for Joe to arrive. He finally came into the quarters with the last group of stragglers, of which Wesley was one. He saw Matthew and the two of them retreated to a small corner of the room, where Wesley could not find them.

"Sorry it took so long," Joe said. "Your brother's really pissed off at you. What did you do to him?"

"Just listen," Matthew said. "There's not much time to do this. I had an idea last night about how to get out of here. I need your help. Are you a good actor?"

"Hey," Joe said, "if it involves getting us out of here, I'm better than Brad Pitt."

"Raise your standards," Matthew said. "Here's the deal. After the morning work break, I want you to wait for a bit before returning for the afternoon shift. Try to be one of the last ones out of here. It's a bit tricky and might not work, but it's all I've got."

"Okay," Joe said. "What about Wesley?"

"You can't tell him anything," Matthew said. "I hate to do this to him, but I need to work alone on this one. Now, tell me everything you know about these collars. Don't leave out any details. Even the smallest things could help me out here."

Joe spent the next several minutes quickly explaining the ins and outs of the thick gray magical collars that were wrapped around their necks. Matthew listened very carefully, smiling at some parts but frowning at others. He had a hunch, and if it worked, then he might possibly have a way of escaping the mines. Joe kept talking, knowing that their time was limited. At any minute, the demons would storm into the quarters and herd the witches to the mines, gladly using any means of force.

From what Joe told him, Matthew learned that the collars' main function was to suppress the magical abilities of the people who wore it. There were three ways to activate the collar: by a remote control that each demon possessed, by the wearers using their powers, or by coming into contact with someone whose own collar had been activated. Into each collar was engraved a strange symbol, an upside-down triangle inscribed inside a larger right-side up triangle, which symbolized the Order of Invision. Although no one knew exactly how the collars worked, Joe hypothesized that through Invision's power to deflect magic, the collars possessed a similar ability.


	18. A Flawless Performance

_Alright everybody, here's another chapter. I'll try to have at least two more out before the weekend. I'm leaving for Taiwan Saturday (I know, I know, after what happened last year I should ban all things Chinese…), so wish me luck as I test fate again…_

_**chyp:** I thank you._

* * *

The blazing sun burned overhead as noon drew closer. Despite it being winter, this place seemed more like summer as the sun shone brightly, beating down on the workers mercilessly all day long. Finally noon came, and sirens signaled the end of the morning shift. The witches were once again divided into their respective quarters and directed there, making sure that no person from one group came into contact with any person from another group.

Morning break went the same as any other. All the witches lay in their beds, gulping down water and hardly talking to each other. Matthew sat in his bed, sweating profusely. He looked around for the Millers. They sat in their beds, Charity holding George in her lap and giving him her share of water. Derrick looked off into the distance, not staring at anyone in particular. Matthew looked around at Wesley, who looked at him for a second before rolling his eyes and going back to his business. Matthew sighed again, knowing that this plan of his just had to work or else he would have one angry brother on his conscience for the rest of his life.

Once again, the sirens blared, ending the morning break. Slowly and devoid of energy, the witches trudged out of the quarters to return to the caves once more. Matthew walked very slowly, making sure that he was one of the last ones out of the cave. Joe followed suit and paced slowly around the room, waiting until he and Matthew remained. When they were sure that everyone else was gone, they promptly left the quarters.

"Step two," Matthew said, "is where I'm gonna need your acting skills. When the afternoon shift is almost over, the two of us are gonna bring the house down, or rather the cave."

"I don't understand," Joe said as they walked to the caves.

"Just follow my lead," Matthew said. "And don't tell Wesley."

After hours of working in the caves, the sun was nearing the end of its course and beginning to set. Inside one of the caves, Matthew and Joe worked diligently, picking away at a stone wall in eager pursuit of the Gem. Being inside the caves for so long, neither one had any idea of the time, but they assumed that sunset wasn't too far away. Matthew stepped back and surveyed his work. He did just as he planned. He picked his section of the cave in such a way that any small mishap would cause it to tumble down in an avalanche of rocks. He had concentrated on a small area of the wall, digging deeper and deeper until a large space separated the mass of stone above and below it. Gravity would then take its toll on it and the overwhelming pressure would conquer the stone.

"We need to be the last ones out of here," Matthew whispered to Joe.

"But this is dangerous," Joe said. "We could all be killed."

"That's the idea," Matthew said.

Luckily, the sirens wailed once more. As the workers filed out of the cave, Matthew threw his pickaxe into the wall, creating the final blow. A rumbling echoed through the cave as a few pebbles rained down. Soon after, the rocks began to grow gradually larger until a terrifying boom swept through the cave. Boulder-sized rocks tumbled to the ground, narrowly missing Matthew and Joe, who kept barely dodging them. At the last possible minute, the flung themselves out of the cave as the inside crumbled.

Matthew lay on the ground, breathing irregularly. Joe sat at his side, examining him closely. The noise of the collapse caught the attention of several other captive witches, including many of the demon guards, who all came running to Matthew and Joe. Wesley was among the first, not knowing what to think. At the sight of his brother laying on the ground, he began to expect the worst.

"What the hell happened?" he shouted loudly to Joe.

"There was a cave-in," Joe explained as the rest of the crowd came in closer. The guards pushed them back roughly and got in closer to Matthew and Joe, who continued his story. "We were in too deep and I barely made it out alive. My friend here, well he wasn't so lucky. A large rock tripped him on his way out and some more fell onto his chest. Thankfully we were close enough to the opening by then for me to pull him out, otherwise he might not have made it."

"Is he alive?" one of the guards spat. "What's his ID?"

"OIMC4SW2," another guard said, leaning in closer to read Matthew's identification tag. "Hmm, what should we do with him?"

"Help him!" Wesley yelled at the guard. "Joe, can you help him?"

"Well I _was_ a doctor before I came here," Joe said, pressing down on various parts of Matthew's chest. "Matt, I need you to stay with me. I need for you to tell me when it hurts."

He applied pressure to Matthew's chest, just above his heart. Matthew didn't respond. He moved over to the other side, to which Matthew didn't respond. He moved down lower to Matthew's stomach. Upon touching it, Matthew let out a loud yell that reverberated across the area. Matthew gritted his teeth as Joe prodded around that area.

"From the feel," Joe said, "he may have internal bleeding. I felt some damaged tissue, but thankfully no broken bones. However, if there's internal bleeding, he'll need to be looked at ASAP."

"Oh my God," Wesley said, covering his mouth with his hand. "This is all my fault."

"N-No," Matthew coughed, straining to look at Wesley. "I-It's mine. G-Give Jim-Jimmy my love."

He closed his eyes and lapsed into unconsciousness. Joe quickly checked his pulse; he still had one, although it was faint.

"We'll take it from here," a guard said, moving Joe out of the way. "We'll take him to the 'special' wing of the medical quarters. The rest of you, get out of here."

Wesley's face wore a distinct expression that needed no words. He somberly walked over to Joe, who tried his best to look as depressed and defeated as he could muster. Wesley looked at him with wavering eyes, eyes that wanted to ask so many questions but didn't know where to begin. Inside his head, Joe secretly hoped that Matthew knew what he was doing. Keeping this charade up definitely would not be easy for long, Joe thought, especially upon seeing Wesley's saddened expression.

"I know how you're feeling," Joe said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Trust me when I say that things will get better. They said themselves that they're taking him to a special part of the medical quarters. He'll be back in no time."

"I can't believe that," Wesley replied, "unless I have real proof of it. There's something about these demons that doesn't feel right. I just don't know what to think of it."

"Get back to your quarters, you two!" a demon shouted at them from a distance, brandishing his remote. "Or should we do this the hard way?"

"We're going," Wesley said, rolling his eyes and stalking back to his quarters with Joe while muttering curse words under his breath.


	19. Disposable?

_Alright, everybody! I'm back from Taiwan, and boy am I tired! But I brought y'all a gift back: the next chapter to this story! So please enjoy it!_

_**chyp:** I try to throw in a surprise for y'all every now and then. Think of it as changing it up for the regular customers…_

* * *

Matthew kept his eyes closed until he felt completely alone. He slowly opened one eye to confirm his location. While his eyes were closed, he could only describe this place as an excessively hot and humid room that felt more like a torture chamber than a medical facility. Upon opening his eyes, he knew that his feelings had been confirmed. From his vantage point, lying flat on his back on a large table, he could only feel a bright glow somewhere behind his head. He turned to position himself differently, but discovered that he couldn't move. Chains looped tightly around his body, rendering him immobile.

He struggled a little but he quickly shut his eyes and lay still as the doorknob opened once again and a demon entered the room, carrying a small key. Matthew pursed his lips and held his breath as the demon decided to prod his stomach a few more times before scribbling down some notes on a piece of paper.

"Xernevod will never believe that one of the Complete is dead," the demon said to himself, scratching away on the paper. "Let's see…cause of death? I think _Cave…In_. ID number? _OIMC4SW2_. Date? Time?"

The demon continued to fill in the form with all the details it required. The estimated time of death, the date, who was at the scene, witnesses. The demon wondered why so much information had to be recorded, but as long as he got to do his favorite part of the process, he didn't care. He loved the 'ex-collaration,' as it was called. It involved removing the collar from the dead body. Although it sounded routine, it played a much more important role. The collars were never supposed to be taken off of a witch unless that witch was dead. If the witch was dead, then the Order had no need for him or her, and could thus dispose of them however they chose.

A whole section of the medical quarters had been built for this purpose. Known as the _special wing_, the building contained a series of rooms, all designed differently, but each with a common purpose: to dispose of a body. No one knew exactly how many rooms existed for this reason, but every method imaginable seemed to have been thought of, as there was a different room for any means of disposal.

"Finally finished," the demon commented. "It's been fun, witch, but time to say goodbye."

The demon inserted the key into a small slit on Matthew's collar and it unfastened with a hardly noticeable click. He flipped a lever up and Matthew suddenly found himself moving. Sweat began trickling down his face as the heat intensified. He knew that it was now or never. Opening one of his eyes, he saw the demon grinning close by. He gathered his courage and swiftly swept one of his legs around. It effortlessly moved through the chains as if they never existed at all and struck the demon in the side, propelling him into a wall. He jumped through the chains off the table and punched the demon in the face with his left hand before following up with his right. Taken by surprise, the demon instinctively reached for his remote control and forcefully mashed a large red button, but nothing happened. Matthew gestured at the collar that now lay on a small table and smiled, stretching his neck and cracking his knuckles.

"Big mistake," he warned the demon.

"That's what you think," the demon responded.

The demon shot his hand forward and a large green ball of crackling energy zoomed through the air in Matthew's general direction. With a wink, Matthew's body became slightly transparent and the attack passed harmlessly through him. The demon, now panicking, threw energy ball after energy ball at Matthew, but each one was as futile as the first as Matthew slowly crept toward the demon. He kicked the remote out of the demon's hands and delivered a punch to his stomach that caused him to double over. With a final powerful right hook to the face, Matthew knocked out his opponent. He panted heavily, but smiled from the thrill of victory.

He looked around, looking for a way to dispose of the body. He found that he had been placed on a conveyor belt that led into a furnace, but he wanted more of a climactic end for this particular demon. He took the collar on the table and secured it around the dazed demon's neck. Picking up the remote, he pressed the large red button that he had seen the demon press before. Jolts began traveling through the demon's body, forcing him back to consciousness. Matthew took a step back as the prolonged effects of the collar caused the demon to involuntarily jerk more and more violently. After a few minutes of jerking, the demon finally succumbed to the power of the collar and collapsed to the ground, dead. Matthew heaved the body onto the conveyor belt, but not before taking his clothes off and disguising himself as one of the Order. He winced as he wore the dead demon's clothes.

"This is gross," he said to himself as he pulled the green cap over his head and calmly walked out the room.


	20. Turn Around

_It's out for me for the weekend, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about y'all who are still holding on to this story! Good things come to those who wait, you know._

_**chyp: **Thanx, as usual. Taiwan was a bunch of fun. I'll tell you all about it someday when you're older…_

* * *

James and Jacinda toiled just like the others in their cave. James dug deeper into the cave while Jacinda gathered the fallen rocks and stones into a cart and wheeled them away. The process repeated over and over again until everyone lost count of what they did and questions such as how much or how many no longer mattered.

"If they recruit witches for this," James asked, wiping sweat from his forehead, "then why don't they let us use our powers for this? It doesn't make any sense."

"Think about it," Jacinda said, setting the cart aside. "This many witches with free reign over their powers would easily be able to overpower the Order. They don't want that to happen at all."

"Then why have us work in the caves?" James asked.

"Well," Jacinda said slowly, "there _is_ another reason. See, demons and warlocks kill witches to steal their powers. It's their _raison d'etre_."

"Their what?" James asked, confused at her choice of words.

"That's French," Jacinda replied. "It means 'reason to be.' I took French in school, you know. I went to live there for a couple of years during school. Have you been there before? It's such a great place! A lot of people say that they're stuck up and this and that, but I found that they're really very nice. Paris _alone_…"

"C'mon," James said, snapping his fingers in front of Jacinda. "This isn't the time for that. You were saying something?"

"Oh right," Jacinda said. "Well, and this is just speculation, but I've heard that this Gem that they're looking for can't even be reached by manual labor, which is what we're doing."

"I don't understand," James said.

"All this hard work that we're doing," Jacinda explained, "isn't for the purpose of finding the Gem, but to kill us. When we die, they take our powers and add them to their collection until they have enough power to find the Gem. I believe that the reason why there are so many of us is because they need a hell of a lot of power to find this thing."

"Then why don't they just kill us off quicker?" James asked.

"Because this is all designed to give them some entertainment," Jacinda answered. "Seeing this many witches suffer is pleasing to them."

They continued their work all through the afternoon until the sirens wailed, signaling the end of the afternoon shift, which actually lasted until late in the evening. The witches, as usual, filed out of the caves and returned to their quarters. James and Jacinda walked silently and Jacinda quietly pointed out one of the guards who wore his cap lower than the rest.

"A new member of the Order," she whispered.

"You keep track?" James asked.

"I try," she said, "but they all look so much alike that it's hard to tell."

Suddenly the guard they pointed at angrily marched towards them and roughly pulled them out of line. He gave them a death stare and pushed James to the ground with a forceful punch to the chest. Jacinda started to move, but the guard quickly pulled out his remote, prompting her to instinctively step away and check on James.

"What are you two doing?" he asked in a demanding tone. He looked around and saw another guard in the distance giving a nod of approval. "You better straighten up and do your jobs if you know what's good for you."

He reached down and grabbed James' shirt and pulled him back to his feet, leaning in within inches of his face. He winked at James and dropped something in his shirt pocket inconspicuously before pushing him back into the line. With a cruel look from the guard, Jacinda quickly shuffled back into line as well.

"I hate them," she grumbled.

"You better love that one," James said. "He's my brother."

The two stifled their smiles and concealed their pleasure as best as they could as they filed into their quarters to be left alone until dinnertime. Making absolutely sure that all the demons had left, James showed Jacinda the present that the guard gave him earlier. She smiled widely and clapped her hands in excitement as James unlocked both his and her collars.

"Here," he said to her, giving her the key. "Start unlocking everyone's collars. I have some business to attend to."

"Okay," she said. "You _go_, boy!"

* * *

On a completely different area of the caves stood a large green building, resembling more of a palace than any military quarters. It looked to be made of a sort of emeraldish stone; it brilliantly reflected the rays of the sun, making it seem almost majestic. Large windows, all stained green, adorned the building on all sides. In the front, two enormous wooden doors controlled who went in and who came out; it magically detected anyone with a remote control and opened only for those people.

Inside the grandiose building, a group of guards laughed as they took turns telling stories about the witches they had tortured earlier in the day. One by one, each demon entertained his comrades with a morbid, yet endlessly amusing anecdote. Two more guards entered the common room and nonchalantly took seats, joining in the rounds.

"You should've seen her," a guard said, stifling his laughter until the end. "Her body was jerking back and forth and side to side like something had just bitten her from everywhere at once! It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen!"

"You two," a demon said, pointing at the two newest additions to the conversation, who silently gasped, "just missed one of the funniest stories ever! I don't think we've seen you two around here lately. Did Xernevod send you in?"

"Um," one of the newbies said, "yeah. You know how it is. We come and go."

"Never know who's getting assigned where," the second newbie added, pulling his cap down over his eyes.

"Got that right," a guard replied. "A demon I came here with got transferred out just the other day. We'd been here for almost ten years and just like that, he was gone."

"How many of us are there around here anyway?" the first new guard asked, keeping his eyes low to the ground. "I can't keep count."

"Nobody knows," the demon who had just finished the latest story answered, eying his comrades discreetly. "Which quarters are you assigned to? The new guards usually go to Eight, Nine, or Ten."

"I have to take a piss," a guard said, standing up. "Reminds me of something that happened today. Tell you when I get back."

"I'm Nine," the first new guard said.

"And I'm in Eight," the second added.

"Interesting," the demon who asked the question responded, "especially since those don't even exist."


	21. Tag Team Match

_Of course I was able to watch the series finale of _Charmed_and I gotta tell y'all…I'm not really too much of a person to just be overly emotional, but somehow I found myself crying like a baby during most of the show! Not one of the more proud moments in my life, but I guess it happens after you've faithfully watched the show every week for the past eight years. Sundays will never be the same again for me… Anyway, here's another story chapter! Fortunately, this series will live on for a little while more!_

_**chyp: **Thanx!_

* * *

In an instant, the group of seven demons jumped up from their seats and converged on the two imposters, but somehow they were all thrown into the air and away from their victims, who stood up and removed their caps.

"Two of the Complete," one of the fallen demons shouted. "Sound the alarms!"

"I don't think so," James said.

He whipped his hands out as if he were drawing a gun in a duel. Suddenly, the remote controls of all the demons flew off of their owners' belts and into Matthew's hands, where he promptly destroyed them by smashing them on the floor. He proudly blew on the tips of his fingers like a cowboy would on smoking guns.

"Do you really think you can take on seven of us at once?" one of the guards asked.

"Only one way to find out," Matthew said.

Two of the demons simultaneously flung green energy balls from their hands at James, who effortless used his telekinesis to deflect them away. He waved his hands in a dismissive manner at the two demons, but an all too familiar flash of light rebounded his attack and he found himself soaring through the air and crashing onto the floor. Matthew used his phasing power to pass through an energy ball that a demon threw at him, and he jumped into the air, extending his foot. It connected solidly with its target and the demon fell to the floor, dazed. He continued his hand to hand combat, as it proved to be the best way for either of them to successfully attack.

James regrouped and ran to the other demons, who all threw more green energy balls at him. While still running, he thrust his hand in front of him and the green projectiles immediately changed their course and flew back to their owners, who easily dodged them. As they retook their stances, James already had one of the demons on the ground with one powerful punch to the face. He winked at the others as he approached them with fire in his eyes.

Although the odds stood against James and Matthew, the seven demons proved less of a challenge than they had hoped. The two of them managed to defeat them all in less than twenty minutes. Wiping their hands, they rechecked their work, making sure that all seven were out cold and that the remotes were properly destroyed.

"That's that," James said. "I'm glad you got the message."

"I'm surprised you were able to think of something like that," Matthew replied. "I guess maybe our powers are growing or something."

"It took me a while to figure something out like that," James admitted, "but I knew that they couldn't have thought of everything. Then it hit me; they separate us by how many powers we have under control. Since your premonitions are random, I thought that I could kinda plant one in your head."

"I don't think I'd ever be able to think outside the box like that," Matthew said. "Maybe our powers _are_ getting stronger."

"That," James said, "or we're just getting better at this. Where's that one who went to the bathroom?"

"That's weird," Matthew said. "He said he was going to take a piss, unless…"

"Wesley!" they both shouted together.

"We better take their keys," James suggested to Matthew as he pointed at the unconscious demons that lay on the floor. "We might need them."

They ran over and snatched the keys from off the fallen demons' belts. Matthew grabbed one and immediately shut his eyes. Time seemed to stand still for a few minutes while black and white images quickly raced through his mind, telling a story of what was to be. _Two demons are throwing Wesley onto a conveyor belt that leads into a large fire. His body is still shaking from the effects of the collar, and he is unable to move or speak. The demons laugh evilly as one pulls the lever down._ The images faded and Matthew opened his eyes to see James, staring at him strangely. He knew that Matthew had had a premonition, but it still looked strange from his perspective. While Matthew might have been seeing pictures, James only saw Matthew take in a sharp breath, similar to when someone gets punched in the stomach, and his eyes roll into the back of his head as he closed them.

"Premonition?" James asked, holding back laughter.

"Yeah," Matthew said. "I think that guard who went to the bathroom got the others' signal and went to get Wesley. We need to get to the incinerator room before it's too late."

"The what?" James asked.

"Not a good place," Matthew said. "Just follow me."


	22. Back Together Again

_I'm still reeling from the series finale of _Charmed_. I've watched it about a million times, each time noticing something I didn't the time before. As embarrassing as it is, I find that I'm still crying every time I watch it, even though now I know what's gonna happen. Oh well…_

_**chyp: **Thanx!_

* * *

Outside, a large scale battle ensued between a group of demons and the freed witches. The witches outnumbered the guards almost threefold, but somehow seemed to be fighting a losing battle. With the demons' power of deflection, they proved invulnerable from a distance, forcing many of the witches to engage in hand to hand combat. With many of the witches relying heavily on their powers, they found themselves at a disadvantage against the trained guards.

Matthew and James rushed past the melee, making a point to return and help as soon as they found Wesley. They dodged green energy balls, fireballs, bolts of lightning, and all kinds of other projectiles as they traversed the land, passing by all the housing quarters before finally arriving at the medical building.

It was a large, stone-gray edifice that stood at least ten stories tall. None of the four sides contained a single wall or any kind of opening to the outside, save for a small door at the front of the building. James stepped forth and nearly broke the door from its hinges with his power as Matthew ran in, leading the way.

"I don't know where it is exactly," Matthew said, suddenly stopping. "I had my eyes closed the whole time."

"How are we supposed to know where to go?" James asked. "Why were your eyes closed anyway?"

"It's a long story," Matthew snapped, scratching his head. "Think, think, think…"

"Why don't we ask?" James suggested.

"By now I'm sure they all know about us," Matthew said. "If you had an incinerator, where would you put it?"

"I don't know," James said. "The basement?"

"Worth a shot," Matthew said, heading for the nearest flight of stairs. "Let's go!"

They jumped down the stairs, two and three at a time, hurrying as quickly as they could. Upon reaching the very bottom, they stopped. Rows of doors stretched seemingly infinitely in both directions. None of the doors had any identifying labels on them, making it impossible to guess.

"Split up?" James asked.

"No," Matthew said. "Use your power to find him. Try to send yourself to his presence or something."

James closed his eyes and imagined himself standing next to Wesley. Matthew watched as his body went limp briefly before jerking back into motion. James opened his eyes and saw Matthew in his left field of vision and Wesley in his right. He looked around and saw the demons that Matthew described, advancing upon James. Wesley was bound and gagged, struggling fiercely on the steadily moving conveyor belt. James kicked one of the demons into the other before opening the door. He looked out and saw Matthew and himself way off in the distance.

"Down here!" he shouted, waving his hand before being snatched back inside by a demon.

The original James shook his head as if he had just come out of a daze and looked at Matthew, who nodded back. They dashed down the hall in the direction of James' clone, who had disappeared in the midst of fighting, and reached the door in five minutes. Matthew opened the door and immediately closed it as a large green energy ball threatened to disintegrate him. He grabbed James and went to plan B. They phased through the wall and took the guards by surprise. James embraced the opportunity and threw the two demons against a wall while they were off guard. Matthew hurried to Wesley and removed his collar and freed his restraints, helping him off the slowly moving belt.

"Took y'all long enough," Wesley huffed, removing the strap of cloth from around his mouth.

"You're welcome," Matthew said.

The two younger brothers joined James and together they easily overpowered the two demons, mostly due to James' and Matthew's fighting skills, and minorly due to Wesley's cheering. In five minutes, James and Matthew had their foes subdued and at their mercy.

"What now?" Wesley asked. "Let's cook them like they were gonna cook me."

"I have a better idea," Matthew said, holding up Wesley's collar. "Let's give them a taste of their own medicine."

"Nice," James said, grabbing one of the demons and holding him still as Matthew positioned the collar around his neck. He stopped momentarily as his head spun slightly. He shook it off and continued his job. James roughly threw him onto the ground and activated the collar by pressing the button on his remote control. At once, the demon began violently jerking involuntarily. Without a second collar on hand, James quickly pointed his hand at the burning furnace and a great mass of flame burst forth from it. At James' gesture, the swirling mass of fire looped around the two helpless guards and engulfed them in a fiery blaze, vanquishing them. Again, James blew on his fingers.

"Nice job, big brother," Wesley commented. "I didn't know you could do that. So how do we get out of here?"

"We still have business," Matthew said. "We need to free the rest of the people with collars and put an end to this whole thing once and for all."

"Don't we need the Book for that?" James asked. "Didn't it have a spell or something for this?"

"I don't remember," Matthew said. "We'll just have to improvise."

"Aww," Wesley complained. "Can't we do things by the Book just _once_!"


	23. We Need A Plan

_Hey there, it's just regular ol' me again, putting up another one of these chapters for y'all to enjoy! Read at your leisure, and if it's in your heart, leave a few words of opinion…_

_**chyp: **Thanx for your review. I completely forgot about school back in the US. Here in Japan it just goes and goes. They get out for summer in the middle of July, and it's only for about a month…Did I mention that I hate Japan?_

* * *

Having secured more keys from the defeated guards in the incinerator room, the three brothers distributed them to more collared witches and hurried to what had now been transformed into a battlefield of magical proportions. Demons and witches alike flew through the air alongside every kind of projectile imaginable. When the Complete arrived at the scene, they couldn't clearly decide which side had the greater advantage; it looked hopeless for both sides. At that rate, each side would cancel the other out and everyone would end up dead.

"It's like World War II on steroids out here," Wesley commented. "What do we do?"

"Kick ass," James said, psyching himself up for the fight of his life.

"No," Matthew said. "We have to go for the bigger threat here. Someone more powerful is in control of this whole operation. I had a premonition back in the incinerator room. There's this guy, a demon, who looks to be the boss of everything going on. If we can vanquish him, it might be enough to get rid of this…wherever we are."

"How are we gonna get there?" Wesley asked. "And what are we gonna do when we get there? We don't know anything about this boss."

"We need to get home, then," James suggested. "If there's anything in the Book, we'll need to know about it."

"Homeboy," Matthew said to Wesley, "can you glimmer us back?"

"Are you joking?" Wesley asked. "I can't get from point A to point B by myself, much less with passengers. Next idea."

"Unless we can get home," Matthew said, "I don't think there's much we can do."

"Write a spell," James said. "I bet we can figure out one to get us home."

"Or at least out of Oz," Wesley quipped.

"Fine," Matthew said. "I'll get started on a spell. You two go and look for the Millers. Nice family, tall black guy, pretty wife, one son. Just look for the three most depressed people out there and chances are it's them."

"Sound like nice people, these Millers," James said as he and Wesley separated from Matthew.

* * *

"You have failed," the pale-eyed demon called Xernevod said to his minion, who sat kneeled before him. "What use are you to me now?"

"Master," the lower demon pleaded, "all is not lost."

"How can that be?" Xernevod demanded. A look of pure anger flashed in both his colorless eyes and the surrounding guard demons immediately bowed their heads in acknowledgement of his power. "A group of innumerable demons cannot keep track of three witches, and now the results have turned into a useless matter."

"We still may have acquired enough power to summon the Gem," the inferior demon said, hoping that his words of consolation might spare his life yet again. "We still have a chance."

"Very well," Xernevod said after minutes of silence passed painfully around the chamber. "I shall give you a second chance. Gather the power we have accumulated and give it to me. I will find the Gem myself and destroy both the Complete and every witch in the mines. Go!"

The lower demon bowed deeply before turning to exit his master's presence. Once he felt safe enough he vanished in a green ripple as he continued to walk away. The head demon, Xernevod, rubbed his pale chin as he contemplated his next move. With the Complete now free and the other witches fighting fiercely, no one could predict exactly what might happen next.

* * *

Amidst the immense battle between the freed witches and the guard demons, James and Wesley combed through the commotion, looking for three people who seemed to blend in more than they previously believed. Along the way, James threw a couple of demons aside here and there, while Wesley effortlessly froze any who got in his way, leaving them easy marks for the over-aggressive James, who gladly sacrificed the well-being of his hand for a bit of revenge.

"This is harder than I thought," Wesley said, flicking his hands every few minutes. "At this rate we'll never find who we're looking for."

"At least we're having fun trying," James said, flinging demons to and fro. "It's like a maze. Hey, is that them over there?"

James pointed in the direction of three people, two adults and one child, who all stood back to back to back. The looks on each of their faces were the same: inconsolable anger. A five foot space buffered them from any other witches or demons; they fought as hard as they could, sparing nothing that got in their way. Even the child proved to be a formidable fighting force.

"Let's go," Wesley said as he and James took off running.

As they drew closer, they saw that Derrick, the husband, had completely taken an offensive approach and used his telekinetic power to fend off all demons who dared approach. Meanwhile, George, the child, and his mother Charity tag-teamed any others that Derrick missed. George flicked his hands, much the same way as Wesley, and his targets froze in place as thick blocks of ice magically concealed them from head to toe. Charity, without an active power, stepped forward and kicked the ice statues, shattering them into countless pieces.

"Are y'all the Millers?" James asked as he and Wesley ran in.

Derrick, too into his work, paid little to no attention to them until they were within range. Hardly turning his head, he blindly waved his arm and the two brothers were magically thrown into the air, landing hard on their bottoms. James rushed back to his feet and raised his arm in retaliation, but Wesley grabbed it before anything happened.

"Calm yourself," Wesley said.

He concentrated hard and managed to temporarily freeze the surrounding demons, sending Derrick into a state of confusion. He and James slowly approached the trio, holding their hands up to declare peace.

"We're on the same side here," Wesley said. "Our brother Matt told us to find y'all and see how y'all were doing."

"Matt?" Charity asked. "He's your brother? But they're white and you're…"

"A little late, I know," Wesley quickly cut in. "It's a long story. Anyway, tell your husband thanks for throwing us over there. We really appreciated it."

"Sorry," Derrick said insincerely.

"Hey there," Wesley said to George. "What's your name?"

"George," George answered.

"Nice to meet you," Wesley said. "I saw your ice thing. That's a lot cooler than what I have. Can we switch?"

"Wesley," James cut in.

"Sorry," Wesley said. "Anyway, I don't know how much longer these retards are gonna stay frozen, so let's get back to Matt. He's writing a spell to try and get us to the source of all this. If we can find the boss, maybe there'll be a way to get everyone out of here."

"Take us with you," Derrick said. "After everything they've done to us, I'd at least like to meet them face to face."

"What have they done?" James asked.

"I guess your brother didn't get to tell you that much," Charity said. "It's a long story. Don't ask."

"My sister's gone," George said as his face dropped. Charity pulled him into a hug.

"Well the more the merrier," James said. "Let's go."


	24. The Big Battle Begins

_One more chapter for the masses! And the crowd goes wild!_

_**chyp: **As always, I love to get reviews from you. The way you pack so much emotion and thought into those few words always gets me right in my cold, cold heart. You're one of the good ones._

* * *

Xernevod, the head demon, crossed his arms as a demon, the same one who visited him thrice before, materialized into his presence. With a snap of his fingers, all other guard demons in the area vanished in green ripples. 

"I hope you have something useful to say," Xernevod uttered.

"I've brought you the powers that we've collected," the demon said.

He brought his hands together and a medium-sized globe of multicolored light appeared, hovering slightly above his hands. He held it out for his master, who seized it in one hand and let loose a smirk. He examined it closely, as if he could single out each power that the light contained. He intermittently gave small nods of approval, prompting his servant to smile. Finally he held it out and spoke to the one who presented him with the gift.

"My servants," he bellowed. As he spoke, all the other demons who had been there before once again materialized in his presence. "This is a marvelous occasion. With these powers, I can claim the Gem of Legend and use its powers to bring my brother back to life! Witness as I infuse myself with the powers of hundreds of pathetic witches whose only purpose in life was to hand their powers over to me."

He held out the glowing orb one last time for everyone to see. By this time, all the other demons had gathered in a small group, including the one who had given it to him. Before he could plunge it into his chest, a strange force swept his feet from under him and he crashed to the ground. The collection of powers flew through the air and landed in Matthew's hands.

"Right on time," James commented. "Nice catch, Matt."

"Have a nice trip?" Wesley asked.

"YOU!" Xernevod shouted, enraged. "How did you get here?"

"That's not important," James said. "The only thing that matters is that we're here to put an end to your plan."

"If you think you can stop me," Xernevod said, "give it your best try."

He stood to his full height, around seven feet, and a green aura engulfed his body. The three brothers and the three Millers saw him transform into a completely different creature. As the light faded, grayish wings sprouted from his back, and his skin, previously pale green, assumed a grayish hue. Only the paleness of his eyes remained the same. He spread his wings to their full wingspan, sending shivers down the spines of his inferiors.

"_That's_ where we know him from!" Wesley exclaimed. "He's one of those dark angel things!"

"I think it's _Fallen_ Angel," Matthew corrected.

"You cannot stop me from resurrecting my brother!" Xernevod shouted as his wings began to flap fiercely.

The force of the winds blew all six witches to the ground. George hid behind his mother, who excessively checked him for any injuries. Derrick and James stood up and, as if on cue, waved their hands simultaneously. With a flash of light, the two powers reflected and James and Derrick found themselves soaring through the air, landing on top of Wesley, who clearly had not prepared for such an event.

"Get off me!" he shouted.

"Brother?" Matthew asked, going through his mind. "Invision?"

"No," James said unbelievingly, brushing himself off. "Yes?"

"You three killed my brother," Xernevod said, "and now I get the pleasure of killing you, and your little friends, too."

"In your dreams," Matthew said, "you wicked witch wannabe."

"Get them!" Xernevod shouted to his minions, who up to this point had only been watching everything tentatively in a corner.

The group of ten or so minor demons stormed the six witches. James and Derrick took defensive stances and telekinetically threw the first few into the remaining ranks. Matthew, still with the ball of collective powers, had no idea what to do with it, so he stood in the back, guarding it.

"Get 'em, lil' man," Derrick said to his son.

The eleven year old George walked in front of his father and flashed his hands at a demon with a fireball in his grasp. A sudden wave of discomfort overwhelmed the demon as his expression changed briefly from one of anger to one of pain. Ice crystals formed at his feet and quickly worked their way up to his head, extinguishing his fireball along the way. With a flick of Derrick's finger, the ice statue rose into the air and shot into another demon like an arrow, shattering into small shards on impact.

"Now that's a freezing power with kick!" Wesley exclaimed. "I could get used to that!"

"Watch your back!" Matthew shouted to Wesley.

Wesley quickly spun around, temporarily losing his balance, but not falling. A demon barreled toward him with a fire in his eyes. With no time to react, Wesley sunk to the ground and stuck out a leg, effectively tripping the demon. He clumsily flew through the air, on a collision course with a stone wall. Moments before the collision, though, he froze in place.

Wesley re-gathered himself and was brushing his hands. Derrick deflected a fireball with his power and it found a new target: the frozen demon. It struck the helpless victim with an unbiased roar of flame and vanished in a blaze along with its target.

"Nice," Wesley said to Derrick.

"I know," Derrick replied with a sly grin, "but we're only halfway done."

George flicked his hands at another demon, but missed and the attack flew past the demon's ear, freezing a section of stone. The demon laughed evilly and quickly shot a fireball at the child. Charity, off fighting hand to hand with another demon, caught the sight from the corner of her eye and delivered a punch to her demon's stomach that caused him to collapse to the ground. With a loud "NOOOO!" she raced to the scene. Derrick heard his wife's strained voice and immediately turned to the source. His face dropped as he saw the ball of intense heat shoot toward his son. With his back turned, the demon he had previously been fighting took advantage and threw a ball of electricity into his back. He shook uncontrollably before dropping to the ground, barely breathing.

Matthew instinctively dropped the ball of collective powers and flung out a hand toward George, extending his powers. Instantly, George felt a strange sensation as his body became transparent. However, the fireball was too fast and before Matthew could phase George to safety, the fireball had already grazed his chest partly, creating a very noticeable burn mark. Together, Charity and Matthew ran to help him.

"I'm so sorry I didn't make it in time," Matthew said, hanging his head.


	25. Back and Forth

_Alright, here's another chapter. If you remember, last chapter kind of ended on a little cliffhanger, not knowing whether or not George had been killed. Hopefully that will be answered this time round!_

_**chyp: **You're my hero._

* * *

"No," Charity said, "you saved his life. If you hadn't been able to do that, he might have…"

"Can you heal him?" Matthew asked.

"Yes," she answered as she positioned her hands over his wound.

Sparks of golden light ignited from her hands and created a warm light that bathed George's chest. Matthew saw the look of determination in her eyes as she kept steady. Slowly but surely, the large wound on George's chest began to diminish, the burned flesh disappearing and being replaced with human skin. The light finally disappeared when George's chest showed no sign of injury. Charity quickly scooped him into a hug as he regained consciousness. Matthew only smiled, but suddenly remembered his earlier responsibility. He turned and looked at the spot where he left the rainbow-colored orb, but it was no longer there. He caught the movements of a demon scurrying off toward Xernevod, who had taken a seat in his chair and been watching the battle.

"Stop him," Matthew shouted to James.

"Who?" James asked as he blocked a punch from another demon.

"Somebody help Derrick!" Wesley said as he fell to the ground. "He's hurt over there! And so am I over here!"

"Oh my God," Charity said, "Derrick!"

"Where's dad?" George asked, still in a haze.

"Honey," Charity said to him, "you stay right here where I can see you. Mommy'll be right back, okay?"

Charity gave George one last hug and ran to her fallen husband, checking for a pulse. Thankfully she found one, though it was extremely faint. She whispered prayers as she summoned her healing powers once again, hoping that she still had time.

James pushed his demon away with a telekinetically assisted punch to the chest. With another one rapidly approaching, his need to be in two places at once activated his cloning power. The demon running with the coveted ball of powers was stopped in his tracks as James appeared in front of him. Unphased, the demon threw out his free hand, striking James in the jaw. As James fell to the ground, he extended his feet, managing to catch the demon in the legs. As the demon lost his balance, the multicolored ball flew through the air. Matthew ran to catch it.

"I got it!" he shouted.

"You wish," a demon bellowed as he caught Matthew from behind with a powerful elbow to his back.

Matthew immediately grabbed his back and accidentally let go of the ball, relinquishing it to the demon. He raced to Xernevod but a force held him in place. James and Derrick stood side by side with their hands held out. With a synchronized wave, their combined powers cast him into a wall with such force that it vanquished him. The ball fell into Charity's hands as the demon exploded.

She ran to her son, who had not moved since she left. Just before she got there, two more demons ambushed her and attacked from both sides, causing her to lose control of the ball. George caught the ball as Wesley threw his hands out from where he stood. The two demons froze in their movements and Charity freed herself from their grasp. She gathered all her frustration and channeled it into a kick that knocked one demon into the other, sprawling onto the ground.

"There's only one," Matthew announced to everyone, indicating the lone demon, who stood facing the six witches.

"I'll handle this one," Wesley said.

He took a step toward the demon, but his enemy only vanished in a green ripple, apparently intimidated by the unfavorable odds. Wesley smiled and turned to his brothers.

"Too easy," he remarked.

Xernevod stood to his feet and stared at the six witches, who stared back at him. For a long while, no one said a word. His eyes flashed red as his wings spread out majestically, enlarging his image. Finally he simply held out his hand.

"Return the powers to me," he ordered in a casual tone.

"You must be crazy," Wesley said, stepping in front of Charity, who still held the precious orb in her hands.

"You cannot defeat me," Xernevod reminded them. "I am more powerful than my brother. His powers were only a fraction of what I possess."

"Then if you're so powerful," Matthew said, "then why do you even need these extras?"

"The Gem of Legend requires more power than I possess," Xernevod explained. "In order to resurrect my brother I need more power. Enough talk!"

He flapped his wings quite suddenly and the wind blew all six witches to the ground. Charity lost control of the ball of powers and it flew through the air. Xernevod flickered out of sight and re-flickered next to the rainbow-colored ball. Before it landed in his hands, something abruptly changed its course and it suddenly jumped out of his reach. He turned and saw James standing with his hands outstretched.

"That won't work on me," Xernevod said. "If you thought my brother's power was strong, be the first to witness my unstoppable ability."

He waved his hands and an intense red light flashed briefly, but brightly, throughout the room. James' hold over the ball was lost and his power rebounded toward him with a force that he had never felt before. It slammed into him like a wrecking ball and he soared high into the air, flailing his arms wildly. He hit the stone wall with a bone-crushing thud and slunk to the ground, unmoving.

"Jimmy!" Matthew and Wesley shouted at the same time.

Wesley flicked his hands at Xernevod out of instinct, but the same red light illuminated the room and he found himself flying through the air in the same manner as his brother. Derrick raised his hand to try his luck, but Charity quickly held him back.

"If they didn't have any luck, what makes you think that you can?" she reasoned, before giving him the ball of powers. "Hold this. I have to go help them. Watch George."

"Can I try, dad?" George asked as Xernevod eyed him with disdain.

"No, son," Derrick answered. "He's very dangerous. You stay out of sight where you'll be safe."

"No one is safe," Xernevod bellowed as he extended his hand.


	26. The Power of One

_Happy Monday everyone! As for me, I absolutely hate Mondays because it's the longest possible time before the next weekend…did I mention that I can't stand my job?_

_**chyp: **Thanx for thinking the last chapter was cool._

* * *

A gigantic beam of blackness shot out from his hand, headed right for George. Derrick, without thinking, threw the ball to the ground and used both his hands to deflect the beam away from his son, using all the telekinetic power he could muster. The beam ricocheted off his hands and into the wall on his left, drilling through it like a hot knife through butter. The force of the recoil threw Derrick into his son and they both fell to the ground. Xernevod flickered to the ball of energy and took it into his hands, grinning. 

"Now, no one can stop me," he said as he absorbed the powers into his body.

James and Wesley, having been healed by Charity, rejoined Derrick and George as they all watched Xernevod's power increase one hundredfold. Different colored flecks of energy flickered sporadically across his body as he examined his new powers. He caused moderately powerful earthquakes, which sent the six witches to the ground. He conjured a ball of lightning in one hand, while conjuring a ball of fire in the other.

"Perhaps this fire power is your daughter's gift to me," Xernevod said, taunting Derrick and Charity.

Derrick lost his temper and raised both his hands, his eyes full of emotion. Charity cupped her face in her hands and whimpered silently. James and Matthew each grabbed one of Derrick's arms, trying to control his anger and keep him alive. Wesley talked to George to keep him calm.

"Don't worry," Wesley said to George. "We're gonna get out of here and everything will be alright."

"Let me go!" Derrick yelled.

"It's suicide going against him now!" Matthew said, struggling along with James to keep him under control.

"We need another plan," James said.

"We need the Book," Matthew added.

Xernevod, ignoring them all, returned to his seat and began chanting something in a foreign tongue. Gradually he chanted louder and louder, garnering the attention of the Complete and the Millers. His body began glowing an eerie green color as he continued to chant.

"He's gonna get the Gem if we don't do something," Matthew said.

"What _can_ we do?" Wesley asked. "He's got all the power now. We can't beat him now."

"There's always a way," Charity said. "We just need to think."

"What's there to think about?" Derrick asked. "Let's just kick his ass right here, right now."

"It's a little more complicated than that now," Matthew said.

"He's got more power than we do," James said. "As much as I'd like to, I don't think we can do it by ourselves right now. We need help."

"The great Jimmy is asking for help?" Wesley mocked. "Hell must've frozen over."

"Shut up," James said.

* * *

Marcia Coleman sat quietly on her couch, going through countless sheets of paper. For the past few hours, all she had been doing was writing spells down, to help her find her family. However, nothing worked thus far, and she was still at square one. Hours passed. All the police had given her the same answers as before; there was nothing more that they could do and that she should just move on. But she didn't want to move on. She knew that somehow, she would find her family and everything could finally be okay. So she never gave up. 

She was in the midst of composing yet another spell when bright lights blinded her field of vision for a second. She turned around to see a woman smiling at her. Too weary to try and defend herself, she only stood up and stared at the woman.

"If you're here to take me," she said, "just get it over with now."

"I'm sorry to scare you," the woman said. "My name is Sam. I'm a Guardian and I need your help."

"A Guardian," Marcia repeated. "What can I help you with?"

"I've heard of your family," Sam said. "I have a friend who is in the same boat. His brothers are also there. They need help, but I can't go to them because I don't know where they are. I also can't cast any spells because I'm not technically a witch."

"So you want me to say a spell for you," Marcia said, putting two and two together. "What kind of spell? Who are these friends of yours? And how do you know about me and my family?"

"It's a rather long story," Sam replied. "My friends are the Complete. I don't know if you've heard of them."

"Of course I have," Marcia said. "There's not anyone who doesn't know who they are. In fact, one of them came here. Matthew, I think. If you're here needing help, then that means that he and his brothers must have failed."

"Not necessarily," Sam said.

"What can _I_ do?" Marcia asked. "I'm not an all-powerful witch like them."

"But you're still a witch," Sam explained. "That combined with your never-say-die spirit makes you pretty strong in your own right. You're doing the impossible. Even though nobody else has hope for your cause, you still do. It's that willpower and gumption that you possess that drives your power. I'm hoping that that power can help bring both your family and my charges back."

"I appreciate your words," Marcia said, sitting down and motioning for Sam to do the same. "Have a seat. Now, what can I do for you?"

"This," Sam said, holding out her hands. The brothers' Book of Light materialized into her hands in a shower of white lights. "This is their Book of Light. I found a spell that can bring them back here. They need access to the Book in order to do whatever it is that they need to do. If you can say the spell, it might be enough to bring them back."

"What about my family?" Marcia asked. "Can it bring them back, too?"

"I'm hoping that it can bring all the captured witches back," Sam said. "I'm afraid it has to start with the Complete, though. Only they have the power to do that."

"Okay," Marcia said, sighing.

"But you never know what's gonna happen, you know," Sam said reassuringly. "Magic is very unpredictable. Anything is possible."

"Where's the spell?" Marcia asked.

"Here," Sam said as she disappeared from the room, her voice echoing as she did so. "Please keep my visit a secret. They're not ready to know about me yet."

Marcia held the Book of Light, already opened to the appropriate page. She looked at it with awe; of course she and many other witches knew of the Complete, but to be able to hold their Book of Light brought about a feeling of intensity that she could hardly explain. Composing herself, Marcia focused on her task and read the spell carefully. Entitled "To Call A Lost Witch," the spell worked by summoning witches who were "lost." Marcia mentally slapped herself; she had never thought to word the spell this way, despite the fact that she had been doing this for years. She crossed her fingers and read the spell...


	27. Bad Timing

_Another chapter for everyone! Please enjoy as I begin packing my belongings to head back to the US. I hate Japan…_

_**chyp: **Dude, enjoy the summer (and band camp). Tell me what instrument you play again?_

* * *

"This won't be pretty," Wesley said to his brothers.

"What if we waited for him to get the Gem," Matthew suggested. "Then maybe we could take it from him."

"But we don't know what's gonna happen," Wesley countered.

"It's our only chance," James said, looking to Wesley and shaking his head. "If you could only glimmer…"

"I told you, Jimmy," Wesley started.

Before he could let out another word, his mouth opened wide as white lights appeared from nowhere and encircled his body, eventually engulfing him. The three Millers watched on as the same thing happened to Matthew and James. Then, just like that, the three brothers were gone. Derrick looked to Charity, who looked back at him while holding George close to her side. All three carried an expression of confusion on their faces.

"What the hell was that?" Derrick asked. "How could they just leave like that?"

"Did you see their faces?" Charity asked. "It looked like it was as much a surprise for them as it was for us."

"Are we stuck here?" George asked Charity.

"We're working on it, sweetie," Charity assured her son.

They huddled in a corner as Xernevod continued chanting. Whatever he was doing, they were grateful that it seemed to take a considerably long time. Xernevod meanwhile appeared to had lost interest in the witches at all as chanting became his priority. He kept speaking in the strange language, his body glowing even more intense as he chanted. Soon, he thought to himself, everything would change when the Gem of Legend was in his possession.

* * *

"Maybe I spoke too soon," James said as he and his brothers appeared in front of Marcia. "You need to work on your aim, though."

"I didn't do it," Wesley protested.

"Mrs. Coleman?" Matthew asked. "What are we doing here?"

"You know her?" Wesley and James asked together.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Wesley asked Marcia with a strained look on his face.

"Long story," Matthew said, pointing to the Book. "How did you get this?"

"I'm afraid I can't say," Marcia said, "but there's no time for that. I was called on to help y'all with whatever it is you're dealing with."

"We have to go back," Matthew said. "The Millers are back there with Xernevod."

"Who?" Marcia asked.

"Bad guy," Wesley summarized. "Real bad situation. We can't leave them there alone with him. Is there something in the Book?"

Marcia gave Matthew the oversized spellbook and watched nervously as he flipped through it. He skimmed through the pages, looking for anything related to 'Xernevod.' He groaned loudly in frustration as the size of the Book overwhelmed him. Then something magical happened. From Matthew's apparent sigh of discontent, the pages of the Book began to flip on their own. Marcia jumped back a little out of shock.

"Don't worry," Wesley said to her. "It's not the first time it's happened."

"I see," she replied. "You're _all_ brothers, aren't you?"

"Just since the past year and a half," Wesley said.

"Even though you're…" Marcia began.

"Pressed for time," Wesley spat, finishing her sentence differently. "I know. Matt, you got anything yet?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, pointing to the page. "It's a whole page on Xernevod. There's no spell to vanquish him, though. Just a list of ingredients. Looks like we have to make a potion."

"A potion?" James asked. "Have we done that before?"

"Not that I can remember," Wesley said. "Usually we can just get by on spells."

"I can help you with the potion," Marcia offered. "I've done enough brewing in this kitchen to know a thing or two about potions. What do you need?"

"Thank you," Matthew said, smiling. "Wow, there's a lot. Uh, mandrake root, wolf's bane, hemlock, ground cumin, it just goes on and on. There's no way we can get this done in time. Plus, it says that he has to ingest the stuff. We can't even get close to him. Meanwhile, we don't even know what's going on with the Millers."

"All things in time," Marcia said as she took the Book.

Looking over the ingredients carefully, she concentrated and held out a hand towards the coffee table. Instantly, all twenty-three ingredients materialized onto the table in a flash of light. The three brothers were all taken aback at what had just happened, but Marcia remained focused. After studying the instructions in the Book, she waved her hands and the ingredients magically merged into three small bottles. She smiled and handed a bottle to each brother.

"Here's the potion you need," she said. None of them said a word, but looked perplexed. "It's called thought projection."

"Thought projection?" James asked, finally breaking the silence.

"You think of something and it happens," Matthew explained.

"Nerd," Wesley mumbled.

"So these will vanquish him?" James asked.

"Only one way to find out," Matthew said, taking the Book from Marcia and flipping through it. "Now we just need to get back there."


	28. Too Late

_Alright everybody, I think this story is just about done…almost. There are probably 2 more chapters in the future for this one, then it's off to the 4th episode, which I know you're all waiting for!_

_**chyp: **That's right, the tuba. Such a huge instrument. Props to you for being able to be in a marching band with that. And thanx for reviewing._

* * *

Derrick held his hands out, guarding his wife and son as Xernevod slowly approached them, wielding the Gem of Legend in his hands. It shone a bright yet eerie green color, giving it a somewhat "evil" aura. As he drew closer, smiling the entire time, Derrick waved his hands in an attempt to create more space between himself and his enemy. As he tapped into his power, though, the Gem briefly glowed green and Derrick's power rebounded back at him at such a force that it threw not only him, but Charity and George into the wall behind them, as well as created an enormous imprint. The three exhausted Millers slumped to the ground, knowing that all hope was lost. George cried softly while Charity held him close. All the while, Derrick stood his ground, determined to fight for his family at any cost.

"You stupid witches," Xernevod spat. "You mistake altruism and bravery for foolishness. I shall show you the difference between the two."

He held his hands in front of him and the Gem hovered slightly above them, growing brighter by the second. Charity hid George from the sight while Derrick continued to pant heavily, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, Xernevod unleashed a gigantic blast of green energy through the Gem. A high-pitched whistle accompanied it as it shot through the air like a missile. Derrick let out a resounding "NO!" as the greenness penetrated his body. Charity screamed out as she witnessed her husband writhe in unimaginable pain and agony. Although it seemed to last for hours, the green blast stopped and Derrick collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Is Dad…" George asked his mother, peeking around her.

Charity didn't reply. Tears flowed down her now expressionless face, but she found that she no longer had the ability to speak. All of her feelings, all of her emotions, converged upon each other, rendering her unable to say a word. George looked into her eyes and instantly understood what had happened. He let go of her and stood up, staring Xernevod down.

"You killed my father," he announced in an angry tone.

"How very observant of you," Xernevod replied, "but do not worry. You will see him again very soon."

George extended his hands and flicked them at Xernevod, who only smiled as he held out one hand. He closed it as if he had just caught something, and then opened it up again, revealing a sphere of blue smoke. George's eyes widened, only adding to Xernevod's amusement.

"I believe that this belongs to you," he said.

He waved the Gem over it and the smoke immediately took on a greenish hue. He threw it back at George, who had no idea what to do, and it hit him directly. George's face became strained as his body froze from head to toe. Charity still had not mustered the ability to move; all she could do was helplessly watch her son become encased in solid ice. Xernevod, now chuckling, waved his hand and an invisible force suddenly shattered the ice statue, sending shards of ice flying across the entire room. Completely overwhelmed, Charity fainted and fell to the floor.

Just then, three swirling lights flickered into existence and James, Matthew, and Wesley rematerialized into the room.

"It's about damn time," Wesley complained to Matthew.

"Shut up," Matthew responded.

"Uh oh," James said, pointing to Derrick and Charity's limp bodies, "I think we're too late."

"Where's George?" Wesley asked his brothers.

"What are you asking me for?" James snapped. "We all got here at the same time."

"Looks like we snuck in," Matthew said to Wesley. "Try to freeze him from here."

"If it never worked in the first place," Wesley reasoned, "it won't work now. Why don't we just throw these potions?"

"Because we have to get it into his mouth," James answered. "Any ideas?"

"Try to freeze him," Matthew repeated to Wesley.

Wesley hesitantly threw his hands out in Xernevod's general direction. As he guessed, nothing happened to their enemy, although the Gem of Legend briefly glowed white before returning to its green state. Xernevod turned his attention to the three brothers; the Gem apparently signaled their presence.

"Welcome back," he said to them.

"What did you do?" Matthew asked, gripping his potion tightly in his hand. "If they're dead…"

"It does not concern you," Xernevod countered, slowly advancing upon the three brothers. "You will soon join them."

"I don't think so," James said.

He threw his potion at Xernevod. The bottle arced through the air, filled with a bright purple liquid. Xernevod pointed at the bottle with one finger and it suddenly burst into pieces as the precious liquid spilled onto the ground.

"Is that the best you could do?" he taunted the brothers. "I thought you were much more powerful than that."

"He broke the bottle," Wesley whispered to his brothers. "What do we do now?"

"Distract him," James suggested as he took Wesley's bottle.

James separated from himself using his cloning power and reappeared behind Xernevod. The clone kicked Xernevod in the back, knocking him backwards a couple of feet. Xernevod turned and backhanded the clone in the face, throwing him to the ground. He turned back to his original three targets, but James took the small opportunity and immediately threw the second bottle just as Xernevod turned around. It sailed toward its target and was mere millimeters from reaching Xernevod when it suddenly stopped.

"You froze it?" James asked Wesley angrily, pushing him roughly.

"No," Wesley claimed, pushing James back.

"The Gem of Legend," Xernevod explained as he grabbed the bottle from its state of suspended animation, "has the ability to copy any power used against it. Now, you have one bottle left. I trust you will use it wisely."

"Maybe we won't need it," James said as Xernevod held his head back and laughed evilly.


	29. The Power Of The Gem

_Alright, sorry to stop last chapter in the middle of action, so here's the climax of the story, namely the fight between the good guys and the bad guy! I hope it's to y'all's liking!_

_**chyp: **Don't know what I'd do without your reviews…_

* * *

With a gleam in his eye, he went with his gut intuition and aimed his power at the small puddle of purple potion that lay on the ground from before. The thick liquid rose into the air and flew right into Xernevod's mouth as he laughed. The laughter stopped and quickly changed into cries of pain.

The three brothers stepped back as Xernevod's body began to convulse violently, the potion quickly taking effect. Finally, he disappeared in a great explosion that illuminated the entire room. The Gem of Legend fell onto the ground, unharmed, but no longer glowing green. In fact, it didn't appear to be any particular color. Its energy was colorless. Matthew went and picked it up. Upon contact, the Gem took on a soft white glow.

"_That_ was anticlimactic," Wesley commented. "What's with the Gem?"

"Mood ring?" Matthew asked as he suddenly remembered something. "Oh my God, the Millers!"

They ran over to Derrick and Charity. James checked Derrick's pulse; it was nonexistent.

"There's no pulse," James announced with a somber expression.

"She's got one," Matthew said, holding Charity's arm, "but it's not too strong."

"We don't know where George went," Wesley said, looking around the area for any signs of the young boy. "What are we gonna say to Marcia?"

"I don't know," Matthew said, "but I just wish we could have a happy ending for once."

"_I_ have an idea!" Wesley shouted triumphantly, grabbing the Gem from Matthew. "If this thing is supposed to enhance people's powers, why can't we get Charity to use it? With her healing powers boosted, she might be able to fix all of this."

"Great idea, homeboy," Matthew said as he rubbed his chin. "That just might work."

James and Matthew gently shook Charity for a few minutes until she finally regained consciousness. However, upon waking, she immediately broke into tears as the events from earlier came flooding back into her mind. Her inconsolable cries of loss echoed through the room, reaching out and touching each of the three brothers.

"They're gone," she whispered between long sobs. "My family is gone."

Wesley walked over to her and put his free hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes and saw right through to her empty soul. Tears welled up in his own eyes, but he managed to drive them back and maintain focus. He held the Gem out in front of her. Its presence somehow compelled her to reduce her cries into quieter sniffles as she stared at it longingly.

"I know how you're feeling," Wesley said softly, "but I have an idea, one that might be able to fix everything that's happened. Your healing power…"

"Doesn't bring back the dead," Charity responded despondently. "It's no good to me now."

"That's not true," Matthew said, joining Wesley. "Your power is what we all need right now. We know that our emotions affect our powers, right? We think that the Gem can magnify your powers enough for you to be able to bring back your family."

"You…you mean…" she stuttered.

"It's worth a try," James added. "Just focus. Give her the Gem."

Wesley handed Charity the Gem of Legend. The moment she took it, the color changed into a vibrant pink. Something about the Gem instilled hope into her mind, a general assurance that everything would turn out okay, no matter what happened from that point on. She stood to her feet and walked over to her husband's body. With the Gem in one hand, she uttered a quiet prayer and held her other hand over Derrick's chest. At first, nothing happened, but her newfound determination sparked a brilliant flash of pink light that covered the entire room in a pinkish hue. The energy emanating from her hand bathed Derrick's body. Suddenly, as if the wind had been knocked into him, Derrick inhaled deeply and threw his body upright, breathing heavily. Charity's eyes immediately lit up with joy as Derrick's face carried one of confusion.

"What…where…why?" he uttered as Charity smothered him in hugs and kisses.

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed. "It-all-happened-so-fast-and-I-didn't-know-what-to-do-and…"

"Slow down," Derrick said, hugging his wife, "and tell me what's going on."

"I'm sorry," she said, slowing her speech down to a comprehendible speed. "He killed you and then George and I was just so…GEORGE!"

She looked around frantically, suddenly letting go of Derrick. Remembering what Xernevod had done to her son, she fell to the floor, looking for any traces of George, but none existed. A terrified look fell upon her face as Derrick and the Complete looked on.

"You can do it," Wesley reminded her. "Just concentrate."

She nodded and looked deep into the pink Gem. She held it out in front of her and focused her mind on one thing and one thing only: her son standing in front of her, alive. She closed her eyes and created a mental image of what she wanted to happen, what she demanded to happen. Without opening her eyes, she imagined the image in her mind turning into reality.

Meanwhile, Derrick and the three brothers saw the Gem burst forth with pink light for a second time. This time, however, instead of the light concentrating itself into one area, it spread through the room. Tiny specks of light began to appear and flicker everywhere. As the seconds passed, the specks slowly migrated into the space in front of Charity, merging into each other. Charity slowly opened her eyes as a voice inside her head signaled her to do so. The lights combined into a silhouette of a young boy, filling Charity's heart with joy. As with Derrick, the silhouette suddenly inhaled sharply and George stood there, holding his stomach. Charity grabbed him, not even giving him a chance to speak. The next few minutes were spent in complete silence as Charity held her husband and her son tightly; she never wanted to let them go again.

Wesley and his brothers smiled at the miraculous reunion. James, in a feeling of elation, grabbed both his brothers by the necks and pulled them into a loving headlock, much to their dismay.


	30. A Late Christmas

_And with this chapter, we've managed to reach the end of another episode of the 'Complete' series. That makes 10 episodes down, and (hopefully) a planned 18 to go, assuming everything goes well and the inspiration stays up. Oh well, who knows?_

_**chyp: **At least I got you!_

* * *

Only a few days remained until classes started again. With the Order of Invision ordeal, the brothers missed both Christmas and the coming of the New Year. Matthew and Wesley sat around a table watching Wesley's favorite television show: _Power Rangers_. James had gone to the grocery store to pick up more of his favorite beverage: beer.

"I was just thinking," Matthew said aloud, "you know, about the three of us."

"Good," Wesley said, keeping his eyes on the television. "Tell me later."

"Seriously," Matthew said, turning off the television, eliciting a grunt from Wesley. "After everything we've been through recently, and seeing Charity so happy with Derrick and George, it just got me thinking."

"About what?" Wesley asked.

"About who's gonna be the next American Idol," Matthew snapped sarcastically. "About family, you ass!"

"You don't have to get uppity," Wesley remarked. "I get it. And I think what we're doing is also nice. Jimmy might cry and I got my video camera ready for it. But it's too bad about the Gem, though. We could've really used it to help us out."

"We had to destroy it," Matthew said. "It wasn't designed for either good or evil. It just followed whoever had it. It would be a major threat."

"Why did it even exist in the first place, then?" Wesley asked.

"Who knows," Matthew said. "Hey, I think I heard Jimmy's truck pulling up."

The two flicked off the main lights and hid behind the door, making sure that James couldn't spot them through the window. Wesley looked at his watch impatiently; almost three minutes had passed since James' truck had gone silent and he had slammed the door shut. He almost peeked up to look out the window when a set of keys clanked against the door. Matthew grabbed Wesley by the shirt and pulled him down before he ruined everything. James pushed the door open with his knee and proceeded in, his hands full of groceries.

"Surprise!" Matthew and Wesley shouted as they jumped out from behind the door.

"What the…" James yelled.

Completely off guard, James dropped the bags of groceries in shock. Wesley quickly shot his hands forward and the bags stopped in motion, hovering inches below the ground. Matthew grabbed them and put them safely onto the floor, rolling his eyes at James.

"Demons can pop in and out everyday," Matthew commented, "but _this_ scares the hell out of you?"

"Never mind that," James said, motioning behind him. "What about _this_?"

James pointed to Sam, who stood behind him with another bag of groceries. She wasn't moving at all, due to Wesley's freezing power. Wesley's face suddenly changed from annoyance to surprise when he finally realized what was going on.

"Oh," he said. "Well at least she's frozen. Just grab the bags and get back into place and everything's okay."

"Wait," James said, pulling two envelopes out his back pocket and showing them to Matthew and Wesley. "We got these in the mail today and I wanted to show you two without Sam knowing. She asks a lot of questions."

"They're both from Marcia and her family," Matthew said, opening the letters. "Should I read them?"

"No," Wesley said dryly. "Do them in sign language."

"Funny," James noted.

"'To the Complete,'" Matthew read, "'Thank you for everything you've done for my family and me. There are no words that could express how we all feel. We can't thank you enough for your kindness, helpfulness, and willingness to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of others. Even though the Gem wasn't able to bring back our Tina, I'm glad that Derrick, George, and my Charity were able to make it back safely, thanks to your encouraging words.

"'Hold fast to your own family. You never know when something like this might happen to you, and you're never really prepared for it if it does happen. I wake up everyday now and count my blessings that we were lucky enough to have crossed paths. Of course we've all heard of the legendary Complete, but I never in my life would have thought that you would be such lovely people.

"'I know how busy you must be with school and demons and what not, so I'll stop here. May God continue to bless and keep you in all that you do, and if you're ever in the area, please stop by for dinner. With undying thanks, Marcia L. Coleman…PS: I forgot to include my little gift in this envelope, so I hope it finds you as well. Just another way for me to say thanks!'"

"What's the gift?" Wesley asked. "Is it money? I love money!"

"Even better," Matthew said, examining the contents of the second envelope. "It looks like our tuition has been paid in full for this year, next year, and the year after by Marcia L. Coleman."

"Now _those_ are the kind of people we need to be helping more often," Wesley commented.

"That's great," James added. "Think of all the money we'll save now."

"I can quit working at the bookstore," Wesley thought out loud. "Sam! Okay, everybody get back into place!"

James grabbed the groceries off the floor and twisted himself back into the position he thought he was in at first. Matthew and Wesley stood in front of James and held their hands up when time resumed.

"Don't drop them," Matthew mumbled under his breath to James.

"What's the surprise?" Sam asked as she entered the living room behind James.

"It's a late Christmas/New Year's party," Matthew said. "We ended up being so busy that we just…lost track of time."

"Who loses track of Christmas and New Year's?" Sam laughed as she set her bags down on the coffee table.

"Long story," James said. "Thanks, guys, y'all don't know how this makes me feel. I'm back in the Christmas spirit again!"

"Get the camera, homeboy," Matthew said to Wesley. "I think he's about to cry…"


End file.
